Finding The Perfect Man
by BananaFannaFo
Summary: Bella Swan didn't believe in relationships, and avoided them at all costs. But when her two best friends get engaged, leaving her the odd man out, she decides to take a chance and go on a search. A search to find the perfect man.
1. Chapter 1: A Plan and The Cabbage Patch

**Caution! This fic is rated M for language, future lemons, and adult situations and all around craziness, so if you don't have a sense of humor.... this fic isn't for you...**

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Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 1: A Plan and The Cabbage Patch

"Grapefruit Margarita please" I say to the bartender. He nods his head and gets right to work on my drink while I dig in my purse for some cash to pay him. I look around the restaurant, with the folded up 5 dollar bill in my hand and smile when I look over to where my friends are.

Today is my best friend Alice's birthday, and we're here at our favorite restaurant celebrating. Rosalie, Alice and I have been friends since high school. We used to be the cute girls that used to party on the weekends and study hard on the weekdays. We had to keep the grades up for college, right?

Well, it worked for us, and we were all given scholarships UW, where we started the fall after we graduated high school. We kept up our study/ party schedule for college, and we had a lot of fun. We have pictures and memories of our nights out, and stories that would make even our mothers ashamed of us, but that's just how we are.

Well, at least until a month ago.

Rosalie started seeing this guy, Emmett, 2 years ago when we were in our last year at UW. At first he was just a guy we would go out with, and have fun, but within the last year, I've watched as things got serious with them. She stopped wanting to go out as much, she spent more time at his place than in our shared apartment, and if she wasn't with him, she was on the phone talking to him.

Yes, she was in love, and it was disgusting. Then, a month ago, we were at a club and I was sitting with Alice in our usual couch in the VIP area, when Rosalie shows up with a fucking rock hanging off her finger!

"What the fuck is that?" I yelled over the loud booming music in the club, while pointing at her left hand. The cheesiest smile I've even seen on Rose spreads on her face, and she looks at Alice and I and says "I'm Engaged."

The two words killed me, and if I had been the wicked witch of the west, those words would have been a bucket of water.

"Noooo" I yelled, at the same moment that Alice screamed "Yes!" and ran over to inspect the ring on her finger.

I should have known then that I would be the only one to stay sane as I watched my friends go insane over wedding shit the next day.

"Here you go, Hun. That'll be $4." the bartender says and I hand him the 5, and grab my drink, and head back to our table where Alice is on the phone.

"Yea… I mean, if you want, Jazzy. Ok, we'll wait for you" she snaps her phone shut as I sit down and looks over at me.

"That was Jasper, he's coming over to give me my gift now, so is it Ok if we wait for him before ordering?" she asks, and I nod my head. Jasper is Alice's boyfriend, and while I hate the idea of both of my friends being in a relationship, I feel better knowing that Alice and Jasper aren't that serious. They go out, they bump uglies, and then he leaves…. Leaving me with plenty of time to party with my non-engaged friend, which is awesome.

Let me get something straight. I'm not against finding love…. I think it's great; I'm more against what happens to a person after they've found love. I've witnessed it first hand what happens when a woman loses herself in her man, and I've made a vow not to let that happen to me. I have my fun with guys… not in a slutty way… well, maybe not ALWAYS in a slutty way, but I have needs that my rabbit doesn't always fulfill and that's when I need a man to fill those gaps.

"There he is!" Alice says, and I turn my head and watch as Jasper comes in through the door, and walks over to the hostess desk. She points him to our table and we all wave at him, watching as the smile spreads on his face and he starts to walk over to us.

"Hello Ladies…. Mind if I join you?" he says, and we shake our heads. He grabs the chair and pulls it back before sitting in it, and leaning over to kiss Alice's forehead.

"May I take your orders" the waiter says, as he takes out his notepad and we start ordering our meals. I finish my margarita, and start to work on my flute filled with champagne, and when our food is brought out, I practically inhale it.

We order our deserts, and I can't help but notice how different Jasper is acting tonight, but I brush it off, thinking maybe he's so fidgety because he's got a hemorrhoid or maybe itchy balls or something and he keeps having to shift his body….

Hey… this is how my mind works.

Our deserts finally get to the table, and I grab my fork, ready to dig in when Alice starts to shriek next to me. My fork falls to my plate, clattering against the porcelain as my eyes dart to see what happened to her. What I see makes my breathing pick up and my heart start to beat like crazy.

Alice's hands are covering her mouth, and Jasper is next to her. His torso is turned towards her, and he's holding up an opened jewelry case in front of her.

'Please let them be earrings… please let them be earrings' I chant to myself, shutting my eyes, before cracking one eye open and looking back over at them. Jasper is talking, but he's saying it low enough for her to hear, so I look over at Rosalie, who is wearing the similar expression of shock on her face as Alice is.

Alice nods her head frantically, and I watch as Jasper pulls a diamond ring for the box and sets the box on the table, grabs Alice's hand and raises the ring to slide it on her finger.

I look around, trying to find something to do that will stop this from happening when I spot the sprinklers on the ceiling…

Maybe I can grab on of the candles from the table and blow it out. Then I can stand on the table and hold the smoky candle up to the sprinklers, making them go off, and when we have to evacuate, I can grab Alice, and we can run away. Run to an island where we can be single and fun loving forever….

I go to grab the candle, and that's when I catch a glimpse of Alice's face. The smile on her face is huge, and she has tears falling down her face, and my face softens as I put the candle down.

Alice is happy, as is Rosalie, and here I am, single, and kind of happy.

Alice says yes, of course, and when dinner is over, Alice goes with Jasper and Rose calls up Emmett, and I'm left by myself. I decide to stop by this club around the corner, it's ladies night so drinks are free until 12 and I plan on being fucked up way before that. I walk in as some techno music is blasting through the speakers, and as I walk to the bar I take in all the people on the dance floor. My eyes wander over to a guy dancing with some girl, and his fist is raised up over his head and he's…. what the fuck is that? Fist pumping? Well, he's trying to fist pump, but it just looks like he's jerking off a giant or something. I laugh to myself and walk over to the bar, sitting down on a stool and calling over the bartender.

"Vodka…. Straight Vodka, please" I say and watch as she goes to get me what I want. She comes back with a clear glass in her hand and I toss her a couple of bucks and chug down my liquor, enjoying the burn as it slides down my throat. I bounce in my stool to the beat of the music and ignore the men who walk up to me and try and talk… I'm just not in the mood tonight. I order my fourth drink and also tell the bartender to call me a cab, which she does after she hands me glass of rum.

I love my partying life, and I love not having to answer to anyone about where I go, what I do and how I spend my money, but maybe not all relationships are that way.

Maybe I can find someone, who has all the qualities I would want in a man. Someone who won't hold me back from what I want to do in life, and won't try and rule me…

Maybe I can find someone for me…. The perfect man.

I laugh at my drunk ramblings that go on inside my head, and slide the empty glass across the bar. I turn in my seat, and hop down, staggering across the club until I reach the door. I step out, the cool night breeze cooling me off and blowing some of the club stank off of me as the cab pulls up. I get in and hand him my id, not able to remember where the fuck I live and he hands it back, nodding his head as he starts to drive.

I press my head against the glass of the window and look out. I see a couple strolling hand in hand along the sidewalk in front of the closed shops and businesses, and instead of scowl and crinkling my nose at them, I find myself smiling and wanting what they have.

Maybe I can do it? Maybe I can be happy with someone else….

The cab pulls out in front of my apartment, and I throw a 20 at the driver and thank him, in my slurred speech. I walk up to the door, and slide my key in and open the door. I make my way to my room, ignoring the sound of the headboard banging against the wall in Alice's room, and once I'm in, I throw myself face first into the bed and fall right asleep.

The next morning, I wake up, knowing what I'm going to do. All that's left is to talk to my friends about it.

I get up from my bed, throwing the blankets off of me, and I grab my robe from the hook behind my door, ignoring the pounding that's going on inside of my head. I slip on the fluffy terry cloth, and tie it at the front and walk out of my room. I start the coffee, and grab my mug from the counter, rinsing it out when I hear someone else come out of their room. I look up to see Jasper leaving, and he waves as he slips out the door.

Alice comes out not too long after, with her hair sticking up in all directions, and her skin glowing, and I know she had a good night, especially since I heard most of it when I came in.

"Slept well, dear friend?" I say, and she smirks and shakes her head. We laugh and I rinse out her mug and fill it with coffee and hand it to her.

"Thanks" she says, and slowly takes a sip. I'm about to ask her if Rosalie is home, when I hear the door to her room opening, and she walks out and holds her hand out for coffee.

I hand her mug to her, and I tell them to join me in the living room. They take their seats on the sofa, and I move to the armchair to make my announcement.

"So…. After seeing how happy you guys are, you know, with your boyfriends…"

"Fiancé's." Rosalie says, causing all of us to laugh.

"Excuse me. After seeing how happy you guys are with your Fiancé's, I've decided that maybe there's someone out there for me. So, I decided to look for him…. I'm going to find a man…"

I wait for their reactions, but their faces stay blank for a couple of seconds before their eyes meet, and they burst out laughing. I huff and throw my back against the chair, and scowl at them.

"Oh, Bella. Don't make that face at us…. It's just…." Alice starts, but then Rosalie finishes.

"You're the last person on earth we'd figure would want to settle down…" she says, raising an eyebrow. I put my coffee on the table in front of me, and lean back once again, holding my hands in my lap and looking down at them.

"It's just…. I'm the only one, now. I'm the only single one, and while it was fun while it lasted, I want what you guys have. I want to have someone that makes me smile just by being near him, I want the romance, and the love…. And shit, it might be nice to have sex with someone and not have to slip out of bed in the middle of the night and leave a fake phone number on their nightstand because they were a lazy lay" they smile, and get up from the couch, and stand on either side of me, grabbing my shoulders.

"It's my turn to find someone to spend the rest of my life with." they nod their heads at me, and both wrap their arms around me.

So it's decided. I'm going to put myself out there, and try and find the man for me….

I hope he's out there.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

After I told the girls of my plan, we decided that we should celebrate my decision to settle down, so we went out and rented some movies, and pigged out on junk food as we watched romantic comedies. We hadn't done something like this since we were in high school and Tommy Sharp broke up with Alice. It felt good to do this for a good reason, instead of doing it to mend one of our broken hearts.

Our movie night ended when it hit 7 o clock, and it was time for me to head into work. I went into my bathroom and showered, and then dried off and slipped on some jeans and a t shirt and some sneakers, and headed out to my job.

The bright lights from my workplace can be seen the moment you hit the city, and you can't miss the sign that says 'The Original Bookstore" glowing yellow in the night sky. I pull up to the building, and park in a spot right under a street light, not wanting to park in a darkened spot since the area I work in isn't always so safe.

Ok, so something you might want to know about where I work, is that although it's called "The Original Bookstore", it's actually a porn shop, sandwiched between a sandwich shop and a liquor store in downtown Seattle. I've been working here for about a year, and even though I have a degree in business management, I like working here. Not to mention that these days it's hard finding a job and here I get steady pay and get to deal with interesting people.

I take the stairs up to the front door, and smile when I see my co-worker, Tony, standing behind the counter. I walk to the back, throwing my purse and keys back there, and then walk back over to the counter, just in time to help Tony with one of the customers.

The customer, an older gentleman is standing there, holding one of the largest dildos we have here in the store. Right as Tony is about to scan it, I notice it's a vibrating one, and bring it to his attention.

"Hold on, Tony. We have to make sure it works" I say, ripping open the package, and grabbing some batteries from underneath the counter.

"We have to make sure it works, cause you can't return the dicks." I open the bottom of the dildo, and put the batteries in and then twist the bottom, sending strong vibrations from the monstrous fake cock, up to my hands, and I can even feel it in my forearms.

"Strong stuff" I say, smiling and Tony blushes. Tony is new, he started working here about a month ago, and he still gets his moments where seeing a man buy a dildo really freaks him the fuck out.

"If you're going to use this on yourself, I suggest you grab some of this," I say, pulling a tiny bottle of anal lube out from under the counter. "It has a numbing agent in it, and it will make anal penetration much pleasurable. Plus, it's water based and it feels more realistic" I say, handing the bottle to the man who looks at it.

"Do you have this in a bigger size?" he asks, and Tony chooses that moment to go to the back room, unable to fight his giggling fits any longer. I walk around the counter, and take the man over to our wall of lube, and show him our bigger sizes. He picks one, and we walk back over to the counter where I ring him up and bag his items in our discreet black bag. I hand him his receipt and tell him to come again, and as he walks out the door, I hear Tony's outburst of laughter as he hears my parting words for the man.

I walk over to the door, and push it open, laughing myself and plop down on the seat next to him.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to sell a plastic dick to a man, and be as calm about as you are" he says, and I smile.

"You get used to it. You realize they're just trying to make themselves feel good…"

"I don't think having a monster dildo shoved up my ass will ever feel good" he says, wiping the tears from laughing out of his eyes.

"Don't knock it till you try it" I say. His head shoots up, and I wink at him and stand up and walk back out into the store.

After shocking Tony, which I do on a daily basis, we got back to work. We had some people come in for movies, some came in for sex toys, and a couple came in for one of those sex swings, which I am definitely putting on my Christmas list this year.

At 3 am, our shift is over, so we close up shop, and Tony walks me to my car.

"You wanna get some food, or something?" he asks, as I pull my keys out and press the button to unlock my doors. I look back at him and see that he has a nervous smile on his face and I agree.

"Sure. Um, you wanna go in my car, or yours?" I ask, and he says we should go in mine since I have my keys out already. I get into the drivers side as he gets into the passenger side.

"Where do you wanna go?" he asks, and I shrug my shoulders.

"There's a Denny's not too far from here. You want to go there?" I ask and he says yes, so I drive down about 5 minutes from the shop, and once we get there, we see that the parking lot is deserted except for a couple of cars that must belong to the people who work here.

We walk into the empty restaurant, listening to the oldies music fill the room, and an older woman walks up to us. She looks to be about 40, and her blonde hair is piled on top of her hair, with a pencil sticking through the bun.

"Hi ya'll. Table for two?" she asks, and we nod as she grabs two menus from the host stand and asks us where we'd like to sit. I look to Tony who points to a booth in the back, and she walks over and places the menus on the table.

"My name is Darcy and I'll be your server this morning…. Can I start ya'll with something to drink?"

"I'll have an orange juice" I say, and she jots it down in her notebook and then looks back to Tony, who says he'll have the same. She tells us she'll be right back and less than a minute later, she brings us our juice and we put in our orders.

While we wait for our food to come out, Tony and I talk about each other. I learned a lot about him that I didn't know, like that he has a little girl who just turned 4, but her and her mother live in California. He had gotten laid off a couple of months ago, and couldn't find a job so he decided to come up to Washington, and he got lucky and found a job at the shop.

"Why do you work in a porn shop?" he asks, as I shove some French toast in my mouth. I chew a bit, and swallow quickly, smirking over at him.

"It's money…. And the people are great" I say and he laughs.

"True. But you have a college degree… you could get a much higher paying job somewhere else" I look up at him and place my fork down on my plate, leaning towards him and begin to speak in a soft voice.

"Ok. Well the truth is… I'm a sex addict. I got the job there so I can get all my sex toys discounted…."

I watch as Tony shifts in his seat, and I try and keep a straight face, but I lose it and burst out laughing as his head shoots up and his shocked look is replaced by a smile.

"I'm waiting for the right opportunity. Plus, the shop's been good to me… and I like it there."

Tony nodded and smiled at me and grabbed up his fork and began to dig into his eggs again.

We eat the rest of our food, and make small talk. When we finish, he pays and we make our way back to the car. The whole time I'm trying to decide whether or not I should tell him about my plans, but I decide against it, figuring I can wait and at least go on a couple of dates before I tell him.

After I drop him off at his car, I drive straight home, exhausted from being up all day and as soon as my body hit's the bed, I knock out.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

The sound of my cell phone ringing from my pocket wakes me up the next morning. I crack open my eyes, shielding them from the light streaming in through the windows as I squint, looking over at the bedside table and seeing that it's a little after 1 in the afternoon. I grab my phone, and see that it's Alice calling, but I don't answer in time, so she sends a text.

**We'll b home soon. Pick up lunch from Mikey's for us? Love ya- Alice**

I quickly text back 'Ok' and get up from the bed. I throw my clothes off, and walk into the bathroom, turn on the shower and once it's warm enough, I step under the stream. I jump out after I'm toughly clean, and throw on some shorts and a t-shirt, and slide my feet into some sandals and grab my purse and keys and get into my car.

Mikey's is an Italian restaurant a couple of blocks from our apartment. It just opened up about 2 months ago, and we've only been there twice, but those two times we've been there, the food has been out of this world, so it might quickly become 'our' place. I pull into the parking lot, finding a place in the front, and step out and walk into the 2 story, brick building. I walk in and tell the host that I need to place an order for take-out, and he directs me to the bar, and hands me a menu. I walk to the center of the restaurant, and take a seat at one of the stools at the bar as I flip through the menu.

"I'll be right with you" I hear someone say, and I don't look up from the menu in front of me as I throw up a thumbs up, and continue reading through the entrees.

"What can I get for you?" I hear a smooth, deep voice say, and I look up and come face to face with one of the sexiest men I've ever seen. His long blonde hair is pulled back into his pony tail, and if his eyes we're a crayon, they'd probably be 'Glacial blue'.

Fuck he's good-looking

I finally remember he just asked me something, and I clear my throat and take a deep breath. "I want to place an order for takeout" I squeak out, and he smiles and grabs a note pad from the other side of the bar. He grabs a pen from his pocket and tells me to go ahead.

"Ok, I'll have the baked ziti, with the garlic bread. A penne rustica, light on the peppers, also with garlic bread, and a Tuscan chicken wrap with Italian cheese bread." I close the menu, glad I could get all of that out without fucking up. I look up at him and he smiles as he tucks the notepad into his pocket and grabs the menu from me. I watch as he walks back to the kitchen to place my order, and the way his ass looks in those black slacks should be illegal. I'm licking my lips and making a 'mmmhmmm' noise when he suddenly turns around, totally seeing what I'm doing. He lets out a chuckle and disappears through the kitchen door, leaving me there, mortified that I've just been caught ogling his ass.

Fuck me.

I pull out my phone, getting on the internet and reading up on the latest gossip news as I wait for the food to be ready.

10 minutes later, the bartender comes back out of the kitchen, holding my bags of food, and placing them on the counter.

"That'll be $20.45" he says, and I reach into my purse and pull out my debit card. The smile doesn't leaves his face as he slides my card, and hands it back to me with the receipt. I sign their copy, and place my card and my copy of the receipt in my bag and thank him, grabbing a 5 dollar bill from my purse and giving it to him for tip. Only to have him shake his head, and hold his hand up.

"I won't take your money… but maybe I could get your number…. We could go out sometime." he says, and I have to hold back the urge to fucking scream right there. I smile at him and as him for his pen and he hands me his notepad and he pen from his pocket, and I quickly jot down my name and number and hand it back to him.

"Bella…. Beautiful name" he says, and I can feel the blush rising to my face.

"I didn't catch your name" I say

"I'm James"

"Well… I hope I hear from you soon, James" I tell him as I grab the bags of food from the counter.

"Don't worry. You will." he says with a smile and I walk off, and out of the restaurant. As soon as I reach my car, I place my bags in the passenger seat, and as soon as I get in the car, I shut the door, and scream. I bounce up and down in my chair while simultaneously doing the cabbage patch, excited that I just gave my number to Hottie Mcfuck in there, when I hear a knock on my window.

I turn my head, and come face to face with Hottie Mcfuck himself, the smile on his face widens and I mutter a quiet 'fuck' as I place my key in the ignition and start the car, rolling down the window.

"You left this in there" he says, holding up my cell phone. I grab it from him, and tell him thanks.

"I put my number in there… just so that when I call you you'll know who it is…" he says and I blush hard, nodding my head. He tells me he'll talk to me soon, and turns and walks back in the restaurant. I take another look at his sweet ass as he walks away, and then pull my car in reverse out of there before he catches me doing something else embarrassing.

I get home and Rose and Alice are there already, waiting for me on the couch. I place the food on the coffee table, and sit down as Alice gets up to grab some drinks for us. I can't wipe the smile from my face as I pull out my ziti, and the girls notice and ask me what's going on.

"I think I might have found him…."

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**Let me know what you think! **

**-Ana**


	2. Chapter 2: Promotions and A&holes

**Caution: If you're not over 18, and you don't have a sense of humor... This story isn't for you.**

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Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 2: Promotions and Assholes

"His name is James and I guess he's a bartender… Oh my god, you guys… his ass is like two spring melons…." the girls laugh as I get all ridiculous on them, but I can't hide my excitement over the fact that I think I just met the guy who could be mine.

My perfect man.

"What's he look like?" Rose says, shoving her wrap in her mouth and biting off a ridiculously large amount.

"Geez, Rose… I hope you take smaller bites with Emmett." I say, laughing and they join in and I shake my head and start describing him.

"He's tanned, like from the sun… and he has long blonde hair, but it was pulled into a pony tail… pretty blonde, not yucky blonde. His eyes are clear blue, and I'm going to have his babies" I say, and shove a forkful of my penne in my mouth. I tell him how he caught me checking him out and then how he caught me dancing in the car, and they laugh and tell me I'm crazy.

"So… are you gonna call him?" Alice asks, and I shake my head.

"He said he would. So I'll give him until Friday before I go back over to the restaurant and throw myself at his feet, begging him to take me out" I laugh again at the craziness or that. I would never do that, no matter how hot the guy was. We finish eating and then I catch a look at the time and realize I have an hour before I have to get into work.

"You better tell us when he calls you… and then we can help you get ready for your date" Rose says

"Of course, bitch. I wouldn't let anyone else fuck with my hair and stuff" I say, smiling as I walk into my room and throw on some jeans and one of my shirts with hilarious things sprawled across them. The one I chose to wear today says 'Save your breath. You'll need it to blow up your date later" which I think is great considering where I work. I slip on some socks and sneakers and then grab my purse, saying bye to the girls as I make my way out to my car.

Today is Wednesday, so Tony and I get the afternoon shift and we get out around 10, which is great for him because he's out in time to call and tell his daughter goodnight. I pull up to the shop and notice our boss, Larry's car outside. I shut off the car, and get out and walk up to the door, pull it open just in time to see Larry talking with Tony behind the counter.

"Hey Larry, Hi Tony" I say and walk past them and to the back room to throw my shit back there. Tony nods and Larry says hi as I walk behind the counter and nudge Tony with my shoulder.

"What's going on?" I ask

Larry walks next to me and throws his arm around my shoulder. "Not much. Just checking to see how the store is holding up" he says. Larry might've once been a good looking guy, but time has done him wrong. He's in his early 50's, balding, his skin is like leather from the effects of having a tanning bed in his house, and it looks like he's hoarding a beach ball under his shirt. However, he has money and lots of it.

Who would have thought there was money in the porn business?

"Well with people like me and Tony working here, of course the store is going to be great" I say, smirking up at him. He brings his hand up to my head, and ruffles my hair up, before telling us he's going into the backroom to look over the books. As soon as he disappears through the door, shutting it behind him, Tony turns to me and shakes his head.

"There is no reason for him to be that tanned…. It's not natural. This is Seattle not fucking Miami" he whispers, and I laugh and smack his shoulder.

A customer comes in and Tony immediately goes to ask him if he needs help, only to come walking over to me, face red as he tries to hold in his laughter.

"Go help him… please" he says as he passes me, and ducks down behind the counter, out of sight. I look at him with my crazy eye, and than walk over to the big man who looks all roided out. His muscles are as big as my head, and I'm a little scared when I tap him on the shoulder.

"Can I help you?" I ask, smiling sweetly.

"Yea. I asked your friend if he had a certain product and he said he would bring you over to me so I could ask you." he says. His voice is deep, kind of like Barry White, and I nod my head and tell him to go on, and tell me what he's looking for.

"I saw it in a magazine. It's called the 'fit and fuck'. It's like one of those exercise balls, but with an anal dildo attached, and you can work out while your ass gets fucked." I stare at him, mouth open, for a couple of minutes and it takes all the strength I have in me to keep my attitude professional.

"Hmmm Multitasking… I like that!" I say, and I can hear Tony's intake of breath as he hears what I said. "Lets check over here" I say and walk him over to the back wall where all of the dildo's and stuff are. Oddly enough, we did have it and he bought it. When I take him to the front to ring him up, I ask him if he needs any lube, which I always have to ask every customer… Safety first, and he says he prefers spit, which makes me lose my battle, and I start to chuckle as I bag his 'fit and fuck'. As soon as he walks out, I duck with Tony behind the counter, and fall to my ass as we laugh together over that guy.

"I prefer spit" Tony mocks, deepening his voice and we burst out laughing once again. We finally get over ourselves, and get up, sitting behind the counter as we wait for more customers to come in.

I start to tidy up the area behind the registers, lining up the lube and straightening out the cock rings when the door to the back room opens and Larry pokes his head out.

"Bella? Can I see you in here for a moment?" he asks, and I stop what I'm doing and meet Tony's eyes, shrugging my shoulder and walking into the back room where Larry is sitting in a chair behind the desk.

"What happened, Larry?" I ask, leaning up against the stack of boxes of new things that we need to stock up tomorrow. He smiles and leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at me.

"You've been doing great here, Bella. You take your job seriously, and you keep this place running right" he says

"Thank you, sir" I say, blushing a little at the attention and praise I'm getting from him.

"So, I know you have a degree in business management, and I want to see you put it to use." I furrow my brow, wondering what he means by that. "I'm going to make you assistant manager"

I jump up from the stack of boxes and look at him. "Really? Larry, Omigosh… what about Jessica though?" I ask. Jessica is the assistant manager, well… was.. and she's a total bitch. I worked with her when I first started here, and after a couple of months, I talked to Larry and had him make a note that her and I were not to work together.

"I didn't like the way she was handling things. I also got rid of Henry, so I've hired someone to be the new manager. He should be here on tomorrow, so you and Tony will meet him then" I nod my head, and can't fight the smile the spreads on my face. Jessica and Henry are gone… two of the biggest assholes ever… gone.

"Thank you, Larry. I won't let you down!" I say as he stands and steps towards me and pulls me into a hug.

"I know you won't, kid" I thank him again and he shoo's me off, and I run out from the back room with a shit eating grin on my face as I walk up to Tony.

"Fuck… what happened?" he asks, looking me up and down as if I were crazy.

"No cursing in front of me, young man! I'm your boss" I say, lifting my chin up in the air and walking past him. He starts to laugh and pushes me.

"No shit? You're the manager now?" he asks and I shake my head.

"Assistant manager…. But shit, it's still pretty fucking awesome" I say.

"Definitely fucking awesome" he says, patting my shoulder.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The rest of the day goes by quickly, and before we know it, it's time to close up. Tony and I start to clean up early and then by the time 10 rolls around, the doors are locked and the lights are shut off and Tony and I are walking to our car.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tone" I say and he waves. He's on the phone, talking to his little girl and I smile when I see how great he is with her. Tony works here, and stays with his aunt, giving her a little bit of money for groceries and things like that, but the rest of his checks go to California, to help his baby girl and her mother. I smile and make my way to my car, unlocking the door and getting in. The drive home is quick, since I'm anxious to tell Alice and Rose about the good news and once I get home, they're both in the living room, watching American Idol off of the DVR.

"I'm home, chica's" I yell once I shut the door behind me and they both shush me, and turn back to the TV. I rush over, remembering it's Wednesday, and sit next to them.

"Who went home?" I ask, because I'm just as obsessed with this show as they are.

"We don't know…. We just put it on" Alice says, looking towards the screen with wide eyes. I look over at the clock and see that it's 20 after 10.

"Well.. It's been over for 20 minutes…. Fast forward it!" I yell and they both shake their heads. But since I'm impatient, I snatch up the remote and press fast forward. Alice and Rose look up at me, and they each jump up from the couch and try and grab the remote from me, but I dodge their attempts as I watch the TV. I press play when I see there's 5 minutes left in the show, and Ryan is standing up with the final 3 contestants and I sit back and wait for the results. Alice and Rose huff, but sit down as well. I don't know what the point of having a DVR is, if you're just going to deal with all the suspense in this show. Just put it on and fast forward until you get to the part you want to see and bam…. A one hour show, finished in about 5 minutes and then you move on with your life.

The girls gasp when they see the cutie with the long blonde hair is sent home, and I shut the TV off.

"Ok… enough.. I have to tell you guys what happened at work today." they both turn in the couch and face me, smiling and I shut my eyes and take a deep breath.

"Larry made me assistant manager" we all scream at once and jump up from the couch, hopping up in down in excitement.

"Bella that's so awesome!" Alice says, and I stop jumping, and hug her and then hug Rose as they congratulate me.

The sound of my cell phone ringing from my purse on the counter top has me stopping my celebrating as I walk over and search for it in the mess that is my purse. I find and pull it out, along with a ketchup packet and I smile when I see the name on the screen.

**James**

"Hello?" I say, pressing the green button on my phone.

"Hey! Bella?" he says, in his incredibly sexy voice that makes my legs turn to jell-o

"Yea. Hi James" I say and I look over at the girls who are looking at each other with questioning looks, so I mouth 'Hottie Mcfuck" and they put their "ooh" faces and smile, giving me thumbs up.

"I'm glad I put my name in your phone, otherwise you wouldn't have remembered me"

"Please… like I could forget you" I say, blushing. He laughs and tells me I'm cute and if at all possible, I blush even harder.

"I'm sorry I'm calling so late, but I just got off of work."

"It's ok, I just got home from work, too"

"Cool. Well, I just wanted to call and see if maybe I could take you out for dinner on Friday, and then maybe we can go see a movie or something" I look to the girls and let out a silent scream.

"That sounds great."

"Ok. Well you want to meet up somewhere, or should I pick you up?" he asks

"Umm you can pick me up if you want." When he agrees, I tell him my address and he repeats it back to me. He tells me he'll pick me up at 8 on Friday and I tell him I can't wait.

"I'll see you then. Bye Bella" he says, and I melt.

"Bye James" I press the end button and look over at Alice and Rose who are standing there looking at me.

"My day just got better, girls"

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

I went to bed happy last night. I got a promotion at work, and I got a call from Hottie Mcfuck. Things we're going good for me.

When I woke up Thursday morning, I was excited. I just have to work tonight, and then tomorrow I'm off and I get to go on my date with James. I smile the whole time I'm cleaning the apartment and around 2 I get a text from James telling me he can't wait until tomorrow. I send him a quick text telling him I can't wait either, and I finish cleaning and then hop in the shower.

I'm so anxious for tomorrow, I may or may not have played with my girly button in the shower… for an hour…making me late for work.

When I got out of the shower, happy because of the fun I had in there, I look over to the clock and see that I have 15 minutes to get to work and it takes 10 minutes to get there and here I am, standing dripping wet and nude in nothing but a damn towel.

Fuck.

I run to my closet, sliding on some shorts and a tank top before throwing on my flip-flops and grabbing my phone and purse, and running out the door. I brake all speed limits as I try and get home and I bet if my dad was around he'd give me a ticket, not giving a fuck that I'm his daughter… his own flesh in blood.

Yea.. My dad's a cop back in Forks….

But I'll get to that later…. I'm late here damnit.

I finally pull up to the front of the shop and practically jump out of my car. I run up to the door, pulling it open and running in. I look over at the counter and Tony looks up from the counter and starts waving his arms and shaking his head as I make my way to the back room.

I'm about to ask his what's his deal, when I open the door and walk in, still looking back at him.

That's when I crash right into a wall of man.

I look up, immediately apologizing to whoever I just smacked up against and I'm caught off guard as I stare into the mystery man's giant green orbs he has coming from his face. His eyes are the greenest green… like fresh rainforest after a lightly misting shower… or some shit equally as beautiful. I take a good look at him, his chiseled jaw line, the light stubble on his chin and move my eyes a bit and take in his mess of penny colored hair sticking out in every direction, but somehow looking damn sexy on him.

"Umm, sorry" I choke out after a second.

"About what? Being 10 minutes late, or nearly knocking the air out of me because of your clumsiness." he seethes at me.

"Ummm. Both. I guess?" I say. I don't know who this guy is and what his damn problem is, but I'm about to rip him a new asshole when suddenly Larry comes in through the front door.

"Ah, Bella, I see you met the new manager, Eddie. Eddie this is the assistant manager Bella."

Fuck…. The new manager is an asshole.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIOIOI

"I tried to warn you." Tony says as soon as we're alone. 'Eddie' or Edward, as he told us we were to call him, apparently was at the store even before Tony, and yelled at him for not having the DVD's in alphabetical order.

"I told him that here we separate them by category, but he told me he wanted it in alphabetical order, so now the foot fetish videos are right next to the gay porn and it's all fucking complicated." he says and I laugh out loud when I realize that the location of porn is a big deal at my job.

"Well, I hate that he fucking had to mess up my day like this… I was really having a good day so far." I tell him and he looks over at me and asks me what's going on.

"I have a date tomorrow" I say, and he looks at me for a second before beginning to laugh.

"Seriously, Bella. What's going on?" I fold my arms over my chest and glare at him.

"I am serious"

He looks down for a second before looking back at me and shaking his head.

"I'm sorry… it's just that you told me you didn't do the dating thing"

I decide to tell him about my plan, so I take a deep breath, and begin at the beginning. I tell him about how Rose got engaged, and I felt like she was crazy, and then after Alice got engaged and I realized I was the only single girl left, I decided I wanted to try… that maybe I could find a guy for me.

"Wow" is all he says after all that, so I tell him about James and how excited I am to be seeing him tomorrow. He smiles and wishes me luck, just in time before Edward comes back in.

"Are you guys working or gossiping?" he says and I roll my eyes.

"What would you like us to do, Edward?" I ask and he huffs and brings his arm out, waving it around the place.

"Clean something. Restock a shelve. Shine up the dildo's. I don't give a fuck… just do something"

I look over at Tony and we both walk into the back room, grabbing a box and start restocking the lubes and batteries. We deal with customers when they come in, and once they leave, we get back to restocking.

The time comes for us to close up shop, and right as we're about to hit the door, Edward comes out of the backroom/ his new office where he watches but doesn't do shit, and he stops us.

"Where do you guys think you're going? He asks and we look back at him, with raised eyebrows.

"It's closing time…. We're going home" Tony says, and I move to open the door again when I hear him yell my name.

"Bella! I don't know who told you that just because the time says it's closing time, that it means you guys are done with your jobs" I turn back around and walk towards him, and stop about 2 feet from his face.

"No one needs to tell us that. The schedule speaks for itself." I walk behind the counter and pick up the schedule. I walk back and stop in front of him again and very slowly, I start to read off the paper.

"Bella 5- 11, Tony 5-11. Says it right there, chief" I say, holding it up in his face. He snatches the paper from my hands, and goes into the backroom/ office and grabs a pen. He writes something on the paper, and comes back and hands it to me and I see he's changed the end time to 12.

"What the fuck? You can't do that!" I yell and he smirks down at me.

"I can and I just did, Bella. Now both of you, go to the back and unload the rest of those boxes and then you can leave."

I'm torn between scratching his face off and giving him a swift kick in the balls to wipe the smirk off his face, but before I can do either, Tony pulls me towards the back.

"Let's just do this, Bella. It's no use fighting it" he says, and after a couple of minutes, I give in. We stock up the rest of the store, and toss the empty boxes in the dumpster and when were done, we look up and see it's a little after 12. When we come back in the store, Edward is waiting in the doorway of the backroom and he's smiling at us.

"See… nothing wrong with doing things the right way. Have a good night" he says, and then walks out the door, leaving us to lock up.

Fucking asshole.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

You know how people say 'never go to bed angry'? I went to bed seething that night…. And woke up happy. Today was the day when I would see James.

I jumped out of bed, ready to get everything done that I had planned to do today. I had to get a manicure and pedicure, get my eyebrows waxed, and my hair done. I hop into the shower and shave every visible hair off of my body, because who knows what I'm going to let James see tonight, and I don't want to be getting lucky only to have my plans fucked up because I have a hairy cooter.

No sir… I won't be that girl. Again.

I remember one time in my senior year of high school, I was getting ready to get a little oral fixation from this hot guy I met at a party, and I had forgotten to shave and when he got an eye full of bush, he suddenly remembered he had to wash his dog…. Yea, at like 2 in the morning. I went to school that next Monday and had to hear the gossip going around school that when he pulled my panties down, a bat flew out and hit him in the eye.

Yea. He totally said that, and I was mortified.

So after I'm hair free, I get dressed in some cozy sweats and flip flops and make my way to the salon. I walk in and my nail girl greets me and tells me she's going to do my nails first. She takes me over to the pedicure chair, and goes to work as I tell her about what's happening in my life. She's happy that I've decided to give love a chance and wishes me luck tonight on my date. Once she's done with my toenails, and fingernails I walk to the back to get my eyebrows and hair done.

Ok, so every time I come here, I walk out looking amazing thanks to the hair and eyebrow lady, but I feel like she kind of hates me so she puts me through extra pain, know what I mean?

I lay down on the table to get my brows done, and as she spreads the wax, she gets a large amount on my eye lids which last time I checked, were hair free. She places the strip on, and rips out the stray hairs, along with the top 2 layers of skin from my eye lids and moves on to the other one, doing the exact same thing. She tells me she's done and I get up, tears falling down my face as I move to the chair to get my hair done. After it's washed and smelling good, she starts to cut and then she blow dries. She pulls my hair hard, and I have to fight to keep my head straight which in turn make my neck ache.

She's finally finished, and as I look in the mirror, I see how all that pain was worth it. I look damn good.

I pay and then leave, pulling out my cell phone and looking at the time. I have an hour and a half before James comes to pick me up so I rush home, where the girls are waiting to help me into my dress. I shimmy into the dark pink satin strapless dress, and Rose zips me up and tells me I look amazing.

"Thanks. What shoes should I wear with this?" she and Alice stand back and look at me and then run off towards their rooms. I stand there, in the middle of my room and wait for them to come back.

"Here, put this on.."

"Try these shoes, Bells"

"…and these earrings."

The girls get me a wide black belt, and put it around my waist, and some high black stilettos, along with some simple little black heart dangly earrings.

"Beautiful" they both say in unison, and I smile at them and pull them into a hug.

"Thank you guys. I don't know what I would have done without you" I say and then the sound of our doorbell ringing has us all rushing to the mirror to make sure I look perfect.

Teeth. Check

Hair. Check

Body. Check

Mints. Check

Condoms. Check. Check. Check.

Hey. If things happen tonight, I don't want it just once.

The girls follow me out to the living room and they sit down on the couch as I reach the door, and they flip on the TV, trying to look normal. I take a deep breath and grip the doorknob, and finally twist it and open it.

What stands on the other side of the door, frightens me, and I'm about to call security when the man standing on the other side of my door lifts off his glasses, and smiles.

"Wow. You look amazing, Bella. Are you ready to go?"

Oh god no…..

* * *

**Ok, so a couple of things. The Original Bookstore is an actual pornshop in Orlando, around my hometown. **

**This story is about Bella finding the perfect man, but she will have to deal with alot of frogs before she gets her prince. **

**Reviews are awesome, and they might even make me update quicker :)**

**Rec's:**

**Not Meant to Be by SweetDulcinea**

**The Next Door Neighbors by edwardandbellabelong2gether**

**and The Misapprehension of Bella Swan by hunterhunting**


	3. Chapter 3: Douche bags and Stamps

**Here's Bella's date with James... :)**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 3: Douche bags and Stamps

What stands on the other side of the door, frightens me, and I'm about to call security when the man standing on the other side of my door lifts off his glasses, and smiles.

"Wow. You look amazing, Bella. Are you ready to go?"

Oh god no…..

What the fuck is this.

I think it's James…. But he been Douche-ified. He's dressed head to toe in Ed Hardy… and he has sunglasses.

At night.

He's looking at me funny, as if I'm the one looking like a complete asshole right now, and that's when I remember he just asked me something.

"Ummm Yea…" I say, shrugging my shoulders, and his smile widens.

"Let's go then" he holds his arm out for me, and slips his glasses back on. I go to walk out the door, and I look back at my friends who are just about dying with laughter on the couch. James pulls me close to him as we make our way through the darkened parking lot to his car. I hear as he takes his keys out and unlocks the doors and I see as the lights on a BMW M3 coupe flicker and he looks down at me and smiles.

"Wow… nice car." I say as he reaches the passenger side door and opens it, ushering me inside.

"Thanks. It was a gift from my parents" he says, and shuts the door. He walks around the car and gets into the drivers side. He starts the ignition as soon as he gets in and I am assaulted by the loud booming music that blasts though his stereo… and not just any music.

House music… yes, the music that makes you wanna swallow down some x and grab a couple of glow sticks while you dance around in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere.

"So what do you want to eat?" he asks, turning down the radio a bit, and by a bit I mean barely at all, and I look over at him and shrug.

I can't take him seriously in that outfit.

"I'll eat anything… " I say and he smiles and starts to drive. By now it's fully dark outside and he has on those damn sunglasses as if it was noon in summertime.

"Don't the glasses bother you? I mean, can you even see?" I say, because shit, I'm in fear of my life right now because this asshole has on dark ass glasses at 8:15 at night.

"Yea, I can see…. And don't knock em, they're so I can't see my haters"

Wow.

The rest of the ride to wherever the hell we're going is silent, besides of course the house remix of that Katy Perry song that is still playing loud over the speakers, so I take out my phone and text my friends.

**I fucking hope douchbaggery isn't contagious, otherwise I'm fucked. -B**

I press send and not even a minute later, I get a text back from Alice.

**Don't worry. If we even see you near anything Ed Hardy, we'll put you down and take you out of your misery. -A**

Then Rose…

**Hey! Ask him if he has any Ed hardy condoms! We don't want any douche bag babies walking around-R**

I start to laugh and James looks over at me.

"What's so funny?" he asks, and I can't tell if he's looking at me, or out the damn window, but I answer anyways.

"Nothing, just read this joke my friends just sent me" I say

"Oh. I love jokes… tell me.." he says, and I freeze.

Shit… I didn't even think about what would happen when I said that… so I think back to the stupidest joke I've ever heard and tell him.

"Ok, So a horse walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Hey. Why the long face?" I say and smile, and wait for him to start laughing but he doesn't.

"Go on…" he says, and I shake my head.

"No… That's the whole joke…." if I were to guess what kind of face he was making, I'd say it's a puzzled look, but since the glasses are covering his eyes, I can't be for sure.

"I don't get it"

Of course you don't.

"It's a horse… and the bartender asks him 'why the long face'…. and umm. Horse's have long faces. Literally." I sit back in my chair after explaining it to him, and he still doesn't get it so I look out the window.

We finally pull up to a McDonalds parking lot and after he shuts off the car, his head turns to face me, and he laughs.

"Oh.. I get it now!"

Wow… and it only took him 6 minutes.

He gets out of the car, and walks around to my side, opening the door for me and holding his hand out for me to grab.

"You like McDonalds, right?" he asks, and I can't believe this is where he's taking me. I mean, c'mon, the guy is wearing about $400 in Ed Hardy gear, and he drives a BMW and the only thing that comes to mind for dinner is the golden arches… I mean, shit. At least he could've taken me to Olive Garden or something like that.

"Yea… I love McDonalds" I say, not wanting to be a total bitch, I mean, he might be a douche but he's still hot. We walk in and the place is filled with teenagers out with friends, or family's getting dinner.

"Can I take your order?" a young girl behind the counter says, and James tells me to order first.

"Um. I'll have a number 10, with a sprite." I say and then James begins ordering.

"I'll have a quarter pounder, only bread and meat and ketchup. And then I'll have fries, but no salt on them… and a water."

…. Yes.. Lets add 'he's difficult' to the list of things wrong with him.

"Go and have a seat… I'll bring the food" he says, and I smile and walk towards the center of the restaurant, and take a seat at one of the tables, and as I look up at James as he stands at the counter, I see that on the butt of his jeans, 'Ed Hardy' is written really big across his ass.

Damn it… why?

He's handed our tray and he makes his way over to the table, and sets it down in front of me, handing me my nuggets and fries and than grabs up the empty cup. He walks to the fountain drinks machine, and fills up my drink as I start to nibble on my chicken nuggets. He comes back, and hands me my filled cup and I thank him and poke my straw through and start to drink….

"Umm. James… I wanted a sprite" I say when I realize he didn't give me sprite, he got me diet coke.

"Yea… but you're already eating all those calories, so I figured you might want to tone it down on the drink…" I want to lunge across the table and beat his ass…. But I don't.

Instead, I eat my food, and drink up my diet soda quickly, so he can take me the fuck home.

As soon as I'm finished, I take my garbage up to the trash and toss it in and then walk back to the table and take my seat as I wait for him to finish his meal. Once he finishes, he takes his trash up, we walk back out to the car and he opens the door for me, and I wait for him to get in the car, so I can tell him to take me the fuck home. He gets in and I turn in my seat to tell him I'm ready to end this date here, and I'm even contemplating reimbursing him the fucking $4 he spent on my dinner, but before I can get a word out, he lifts his glasses to rest on top of his head and grabs my face in his hands and kisses me.

And I'm not talking about a peck, I'm talking a full out tongues touching, toe curling, heart racing, goose bump inducing kiss….

And just like that, I forget all about my plans of going home…

I scoot closer to him, and clutch onto his ridiculous shirt, pulling him closer as my other hand moves to the back of his neck, deepening the kiss. He pulls back and starts gasping for air, and looks at me through hooded eyes.

"Fuck, Bella. I know we don't know each other that well, but do you want to come to my place for a little bit" he asks. I suck my lip into my mouth, and I'm about to say no when I look down at his lap and see the bulge in his pants ending just a couple of inches above his knee…

Oh my Cock….

I don't say anything, in fear of squeaking out my answer, so I nod my head like a fucking idiot. He leans towards me again, placing a soft kiss on my lips and starts the car. And I'm on like a fucking bitch in heat as he speeds to his place. I'm kissing and licking at his neck, and every red light we stop at, he turns and kiss frantically until we notice the light turning green, or the people behind us honk their horns and yell obscenities. After about 10 minutes of driving, he starts to slow down and I notice we're outside one of the nicest gated communities in town. He nears the gate, stops by the keypad, punching in his code and the gates open up, bringing me one step closer to multiple orgasms throughout the night.

We pull up in front of a nice, two story house and he parks in the driveway and shuts of the car. He gets out of the car and runs around to my door, opening it quickly and pulling me out of the car and to his chest. I get up on my tip toes and we kiss again and as I go to pull back, he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and gently bites it sending pleasure ripples right down to my sexy spot.

"You live here?" I ask him as soon as my lip is free, and my body isn't quivering… as much.

"Yea… Let's go, I need you now" he says, and he pulls me beside him as he fiddles with his keys, looking for his house key. He slips it in the lock and turns it, and opens it quickly, pulling me in and into his arms as our lips lock in another kiss. He opens the door to the first room, and pulls me in, kicking the door closed behind him and laying me back on the bed. I fall back onto the mattress with my hands raised above my head, and he begins attacking my lips, before moving to my neck. My hands reach down to grab on the back of his head, and pull him closer, and I let out loud moans as his teeth nip at the sensitive skin where my neck meets my shoulder.

"Ugh, James…." I cry out when he nips hard at my collarbone and I can feel as he smiles against my skin.

"Sit up, let me take this off of you." he says, and I get up, and reach behind me, pulling the zipper down and then pulling the front of my dress down and freeing my braless breasts.

"Shit.." he groans, and grabs the hem of his shirt, and pulls it off swiftly, revealing his chiseled chest. I reach my hands up, running my fingers over the muscles or his chest, and then his abs, before reaching the patch of hair leading right into where I desperately want to be. I grab the top of his jeans and un button the top, and then quickly tug the zipper down. He moves to get off the bed, and drops his pants to the ground and steps out of them, leaving him in just his boxer briefs before kneeling in between my legs on the bed. I lay back, as his hands reach up my legs and under my dress for the top of my panties. He tugs them down my legs, and I lift them up into the air in front of him and he tugs them all the way off and tosses them over by the door.

He leans down, holding himself up by his arms resting on either side of my head as our lips meet again. I can feel his hardness pressed up against me and I moan against his lips and thrust my hips up to show him what I want.

Maybe I can change him… maybe I can show him how to dress, and show him better places to take me for dinner… maybe he could be the one…

Just then, the lights come on, momentarily blinding me, and as I look over towards the switch, I see a woman standing there in a pink robe, with her hair up and wrapped in a towel.

"Shit, Mom…. Can't you see I'm fucking busy"

Mom? He lives with his fucking mom?

I shut my legs even though I'm pretty sure his mom saw my cooter already, and I bring my arms up and cover my breasts, mortified that I'm in this situation.

"I'm sorry… we heard noises and though someone had gotten hurt so your dad sent me to make sure you were ok." she tells him and then walks closer to the bed and smiles at me as she holds out her hand. "Hi, I'm Patty, James' mom"

I look over at James, silently asking what the fuck to do but he's no help at all. I reach out my hand, keeping the other arm still wrapped around my front.

"Ummm I'm Bella" I said awkwardly as she shook my hand.

"Well, I'm sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to make sure no one was hurt" she says, and turns around to leave..

"Bye mom… " he says, and as soon as the door shuts, he looks back towards me and leans closer. "Hmm Where were we?" he says, and then leans down further to try and kiss on my neck.

What the hell? This guys mommy just walked in on us about to fuck, and he's acting like it's normal.

"James?" I ask, pushing on his chest. "You live with your parents?" he looks at me like I've grown a second head out of my ass, and then smiles.

"Yea… how else could I afford to buy such nice things… I don't make that much working at the restaurant…" I look around at the room we're in actually able to see now that the light is on, and posted up on the walls are pictures of half naked girls. In front of his bed, is an entertainment center with a flat screen, and at least 3 game consoles and their remotes scattered on the floor.

What the fuck? Is he 12?

"Umm I never asked… how old are you?" I ask as he tries to lean forward again to kiss my neck.

"31... Why?"

WARNING! WARNING! RED ALERT! GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!

Damn it… why? Why does this have to happen to me?

"James… I'm not feeling very well… can you take me home?" I ask him and he pulls back and grabs my shoulders.

"What's wrong… Don't leave, I'll get you something…"

Shit… he's trying to make me stay.. I need to go…

"I feel like my genital herpes is beginning to flare up, so I need to go home and take my medicine."

That'll do it.

He practically jumps up from the bed, wiping at his mouth as he looks at me like I just fucked up his day, which is fine with me cause mine's been fucked since the beginning. I stand up, pulling up my dress and zipping it up the back. He walks into his closet and I search his room for my panties, not seeing them anywhere. The door opens again and his mother is once again standing there, except this time, she has my panties in her hand.

"Here ya go, sweetie. I must've kicked these out of the room when I left." I grab them and quickly tug them back up my legs, not giving a crap that she's standing right there. James comes out from the closet, wearing lounge shorts and a muscle shirt… both of them Ed Hardy… and he grabs his keys from his jeans on the floor.

"I'm taking Bella home, mom. I'll be right back" he says and walks past her to the front door.

"It was nice to meet you, Bella" she says as I pass her and reach the door and I turn around and smile, not knowing what to say to her. 'yea, thanks for showing up, and I hope you enjoyed the view of my cooter, cause you and your son are never seeing it again'?

The ride back to my place is silent, not even his music is playing as we speed through the streets. We finally make it to my apartment, and he places the car in park and I move to open the door.

"Uh. Can I call you later?" he says, and I look at him, and reach over and grab his cell phone from the cup holder in the center console. I go into his contact, scrolling down until I see my name, and I press delete and hand him back his phone.

"No, James. But, have a nice life" I say, and get out of the car, slamming the door behind me. His tires squeal as he burns out of the parking lot, and heads back onto the road. I bet when he gets home, he'll ask his mommy for a bowl of ice cream or something… fucking loser.

I get my keys out and unlock my door, and as I step into the apartment, Alice and Rose are there waiting for me on the couch and they quickly turn towards me as soon as they hear the door opening, and attack me with questions.

"How was it…"

"Where'd he take you…."

"Shit, why's your dress all fucked up?"

I hold my hand up, and they quiet down.

"I need a shower, and I need some sweats…. After that, I'll tell you about my horrendous day…. Ok?" they both nod, and I walk into the bathroom, slipping out of the dress and my underwear, and kicking off my shoes.

15 minutes later, I've washed most of the night off of me, and I'm in my coziest sweats, curled up on the couch with the girls with a cup of tea.

"So… what happened?" Alice asks, and I take in a deep breath and begin re telling the events of the night.

"Ok, so first offense you already know about because… well you saw him.." I start and they both nod. "Then, we walk out to his car and he has a fucking M3.…" Rose gasps, she loves cars… "So, I compliment the car, and he tells me it was a gift from his parents…. He turns on the fucking car and I get the shit scared out of me by his house music that's playing loud as fuck, and then he asks me where I want to go. I tell him I don't care, so we drive for a little bit. And that's when I texted you guys and when you texted back, I laughed and he somehow heard me over his loud ass music, so he asked me what was funny and I had to lie and say you guys sent me a joke. He asked me to tell him the joke, so I told him the one about the horse…."

"Oh, the one about the horse and the bored farm worker…." Rose says and I laugh and shake my head.

"No, you perv. The one about the horse walking into a bar…"

"Oh. That joke is so stupid, Bells" she says.

"No… what's stupid is taking like 10 minutes before you get it, even after I explain it.." we all start to laugh and then they tell me to continue.

"Ok, so then we pull up to McDonalds," they both gasp. "Yea… he does let me pick my own meal, though. And after ordering his own complicated meal, he told me to pick a seat and he brought the food over, and got me a diet coke, saying that I didn't need the extra calories since I was already eating a bunch…."

"Asshole…" they both say at the same time and I nod my head. I tell them how I threw my trash out and was going to ask to leave when he attacked my mouth once he got in the car, and I got a look at his not so little friend…

"So, he asked me if I wanted to go to his house, and even though my head was screaming no, my lady parts were screaming yes so, of course I listened to my lady bits…. And he took me to his house."

I tell the girls of where his house is, and how beautiful it was, and then I start to tell them how things got hot and heavy.

"So my panties are off and across the room on the floor, and my dress is around my waist, and he's standing in front of me in his boxer briefs, and his bulge is looking delicious…. And then the light goes on and I look up and see his mom standing in the door way"

They can hardly contain their laughter as I tell them about my encounter with James' mom, and then I tell them about how he tried to get back to business once she left.

"Yea, so he admitted he lived with his parents then and when I got a look around his room, it was like a fucking kid lived there. But that's not the worse part…. He's 31"

We all topple over, grabbing our sides and laughing, and once I catch my breath, I tell them about his mom giving me my panties after I tell James I have to go home and take my herpes medicine, and how I deleted my number from his phone so he wouldn't call me.

"Oh, god Bella. I'm so sorry, but that was the most hilarious thing I've ever heard." Alice says and I smack her in the arm.

"Glad I could entertain you bitches…. But I got work tomorrow, so I'm going to bed" I get up, ignoring the crazy things my friends are yelling behind me, and I curl into bed, ready to start another day and forget about my date from hell.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

My alarm wakes me the next morning, and I groan and slap the snooze button a couple of times. I didn't sleep well at all, maybe getting 4 hours of sleep, and I can't function on less than 6. The alarm goes off again, and I know I have to get up, or I'm going to be late. Since I had a shower last night before bed, I just throw on some shorts and another one of my funny shirts, this one saying "You gotta lick it, before you stick it" and throw on some sandals. The girls are still sleeping since they don't work on weekends, so I grab my keys and purse and make my way out to my car, glad I'm actually on time for once…. And then I turn on my car and see that my damn gas light is on.

Damn it. Now I have to stop for gas? Shit, I'm going to be late.

I speed down the road to the gas station around the corner, and as my car is filling up, I decide to walk in and get some convience store coffee. I'm grabbing the cup and starting to fill it with delicious vanilla coffee, when a man dressed nicely comes up next to me and grabs a cup.

"That's the best coffee…. For gas station coffee, I mean" he says, and I look up and meet eyes with him. His eyes are dark, almost black and his hair is jet black and slicked back, but what really gets me is his smile… he has a nice smile.

"Yea… it's great. I'm Bella" I say, and hold my free hand out to him. He starts to say something in Italian, and my legs turn to Jell-o. there's something about hearing a man speak another language that is just so sexy. He looks at me for a moment, and I shake my head and tell him I don't speak Italian, and he smiles.

"I'm sorry. I just said that the name fits you… you are very beautiful" I blush red and thank him, and then feel a sharp pain as the hot coffee overflows from the cup and onto my hand.

"Fuck" I scream, and drop the cup as I clutch my hand. Italian hottie grabs me, and walks me around to the fountain machine, and holds my hand under as he presses the water button. I smile up at him as the pain starts to go away, and I hear him yell at the cashier to bring a first aid kit out. The man runs over, handing him the kit and 10 minutes later, Italian guy is gauzing up my burned hand.

"I don't need cream or anything?" I ask him, and he smiles and shakes his head.

"No, principessa. The cream will keep the heat inside, and cause more damage. All you need is gauze covering so that no air hit's the burn, and an aspirin…" he gets up and grabs a pack with some Tylenol and tosses it to the counter, pays for it, and then brings it back over to me. "Here, take these" he says, and then grabs a little cup and pours some water in it and hands it to me. I take the pills, not able to keep the smile off my face as I look at him.

"Thank you… oh, I never got your name." I say, and he chuckles.

"I'm Eric" he says, and reached out to shake my good hand.

"Well. Thank you Eric."

"You're welcome, Bella. Here…" he says, and reaches in his pocket, taking out his wallet and handing me a card.

**Eric Marciano, MD**

He's good looking. Kind. Italian. And a doctor. SCORE!

"How about I get your number and I can check up on you later…" he says with a smile. I nod my head and he takes out his cell phone. I tell him my number and he saves it in his phone and then places it back in his pocket.

He walks me out of my car, opens the door for me, and takes the gas pumper thingy out of my gas tank, closes it and walks back to me. "I'll call you later" he says, and I smile as he walks towards his car, a nice Infiniti that I'm positive he bought for himself, being a doctor and all. I start my car, and look at the clock, and freak out when I see that I'm already late. I speed off towards the job, and 10 minutes later I pull into the parking lot. I grab my shit with my good hand and run inside, only to be met by the asshole himself.

"You're late, Bella. Is this going to be a regular thing with you?" I roll my eyes as I push past him and put my bag in the back room, smiling at Tony as I see him cleaning up the displays a bit. I turn back around and knock right into Edward, who is staring down at me with his teeth clenched.

"That shirt is very offensive…" he says, with a look of disgust on his face, and I just can't hold it back anymore.

"Ok, First off. I'm late because I burned my fucking hand with hot coffee in the gas station, and I had to get it treated. Second, we work in a porn shop, Edward. Almost everything in here is offensive to most people, and Third, the shirt is talking about a stamp. Shit, get your fucking mind out of the gutter." I say, and walk around him, not able to hold back my smile at the look of shock plastered on his face.

* * *

**Haha... Ok... So... James is based on a real person I know and as I was writing this, I couldn't stop laughing... Douchebags make me laugh. **

**I will start updating weekly, so next update will be Wednesday :) **

**Rec's:**

**Age Of Consent by littlesecret84**

**Devil's Angel by ObsessingOverEdward**

**Faking It by spanglemaker**

**-Ana**


	4. Chapter 4: Bitches and Accents

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 4: Bitches and Accents

"That shirt is very offensive…" he says, with a look of disgust on his face, and I just can't hold it back anymore.

"Ok, First off. I'm late because I burned my fucking hand with hot coffee in the gas station, and I had to get it treated. Second, we work in a porn shop, Edward. Almost everything in here is offensive to most people, and Third, the shirt is talking about a stamp. Shit, get your fucking mind out of the gutter." I say, and walk around him, not able to hold back my smile at the look of shock plastered on his face.

I walk up to the counter and look back at Edward and see him scowling at me and then going into the back room, and slamming the door. I smile, and look over at Tony, who comes walking up to the counter.

"What just happened?" he asks, and I laugh.

"I just put the boss in his place…. No biggie" I shrug as Tony laughs. A customer comes in and starts to browse around. I give him a moment before I walk over, and ask if he needs any help.

"Yea… I'm looking for this product I found online…" he says, and hands me a piece of printer paper with a picture printed on it. I have to hold in my laugh when I see this, but I'm pretty sure we have it.

"Right this way" I tell him, and lead him to the back of the store, where I pick up the hilarious looking contraption.

"Yea… that's it… I'll take it!" I walk back up to the counter, and once I place it on the counter to ring it up, Tony looks from me, to the guy, to the product in front of us and then back to me. I look at him at him from the corner of my eye, and wink. And because I'm an ass like that, I start to mess with Tony.

"Have you seen how awesome these things are, Tone?" I say, lifting up the package. On the front is a picture of what's inside, which just happens to be a head piece, with a long dildo attached to where the chin goes.

"I'm getting one and wearing it for Halloween" I say as I place it in the black bag, and the man pays. I thank him for coming, and as soon as he leaves, Tony bursts out laughing.

"What the fuck was that for?" he says

"I don't even think I wanna know" I say as we both laugh, and walk over to the aisles to make sure everything is looking good.

At around lunch time, we call in to have lunch delivered. Tony wants Mikeys, but after I tell him about the horrible date I had with the bartender there, we decide on Chinese. The store is dead, and after telling Tony about what happened to my hand, I hear the sound of my phone ringing from my pocket, and decide to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Bella?" says a familiar voice with a tinge of an accent and I swoon. The sexy Italian Doctor.

"Hi Doctor Marciano" I say, in my sexiest voice. He laughs and sighs into the phone.

"Please…Just Eric. How are you feeling?" he asks, and I smile into the phone, and turn away from the dumb look Tony is giving me.

"Excellent. But maybe that has to do with the fact that this very attractive doctor healed me." I say, and his beautiful laugh sounds in my ear.

"Well, I loved helping such a beautiful woman." he says, and I know my face is fucking red hot right now. I don't know what to say, but thankfully before I can say something completely dumb, he begins to talk.

"So, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to get drinks tonight?" he says, and I immediately say yes.

"Good. Um, I'll call you after I get out of work to get your address and I'll swing by and get you, sound good?"

"Perfect. Talk to you soon, Eric"

"Real soon, principessa" he says, making my body quiver. I hang up the phone and sigh, leaning up against the wall as Tony rolls his eyes at me.

Our food comes soon after, and as we eat behind the counter, Edward comes out, ass face still intact, and proceeds to prop all the doors open and open the windows.

"It smells in here! couldn't you guys take that outside to eat?" he says, and Tony says he's sorry, while I ignore his ass.

After lunch, we get back to work, and I'm excited to see that I only have 2 hours left to be at work. About an hour before quitting time, a woman walks in holding an expensive purse and wearing jeans that probably cost more than the rent for my apartment. Tony looks at me, wiggles his eyebrows and walks around the counter to talk to her.

"Can I help you find anything?" he says, and I watch as the woman turns her head to look at him with a look of disgust, and starts to talk.

"Do I look like I would need anything in here?" she seethes, and Tony flinches from the harshness of her voice, which pisses me off.

"I don't know… maybe I can get you a nice plug to replace that stick you have shoved up your ass" I say. The woman inhales sharply and narrows her eyes at me and is about to say something when the door to the backroom opens and Edward walks out, looking at all of us before his eyes land and stay on the woman.

"What are you doing here, Lauren?" he asks, and she immediately points at me.

"This woman is awful… You should have heard the horrible things she just said to me." I suddenly wonder if this is his wife or something. Or maybe someone else in his family… shit. Edward looks over at me with no expression on his face, and then grabs the woman by her arm and pulls her into the backroom, shutting the door behind him.

"Well… it was nice knowing you, Bells." Tony says as he moves to get back behind the counter, and all I can do is stand there. I may have inadvertently fucked up everything with just one sentence.

Fuck Me.

I wait impatiently for the door to open and them to come out, and when they finally do about 10 minutes later, the woman walks past the counter without looking at me and storms out of the store.

"Isabella…. Can you please come here for a moment."

Shit. Isabella. No one calls me that unless they're about to rip me a new asshole. I walk slowly towards the door, and past him. He shuts the door behind me, and I stand there facing him. He still hasn't said anything a minute later, and I look up to see him gripping the space between his eyes with his thumb and finger.

"Edward… I'm.." I start but he holds his hand up to stop me.

"I just want to let you know you're not in trouble for saying what you did to her." his green eyes set on me, and I start to feel all warm inside, but I quickly shove that feeling aside.

"Who was she?" I ask. He looks up at me, and lets out a breath.

"My girlfriend. But I told her not to come to my job, but she seems to have a hard time listening to what I say." the look on his face is angry, and I suddenly feel kind of bad for him and I can almost understand why he's such an ass. With a girlfriend like that….

"That's all, Bella. You can go back to work now." I turn around and walk out of the door, not giving a look back and Tony is there waiting for me behind the counter.

"Are you fired? Am I going to be stuck with Captain Asshole all by myself now?" he asks and I laugh.

"No… he just let me know that I wasn't in trouble for what I said to her…"

"Who the hell was she anyway?"

"His girlfriend" I say, and he makes as face and makes a noise like he's in pain.

"Poor guy" I look back the door Edward is behind and I nod my head. Poor guy is right.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Ok, Tony. I'm off. See you Monday" I say, since tomorrow I have another day off. He waves at me and I walk through the door and out to my car. As I'm driving, Eric calls me and asks me for my address which I quickly give him, and I'm surprised to find out he lives less than 5 blocks from me in these brand new condominiums that opened up last year. He tells me he'll pick me up around 7, and I say ok, and rush home to gush about my plans for tonight, and get ready.

The girls are freaking out and we're all crossing our fingers that he doesn't dress like a giant douche bag. The girls help me dress, as the always do, and we decide for me to wear some skinny dark jeans, a yellow satin halter top and matching yellow t-strap sandals. I put my hair up in a ponytail, and as I'm spraying it down with hairspray, the sound of the doorbell ringing makes me drop it and rush out to the door. The girls take their usual places on the couch, acting like they're oblivious to what's going on. I pull open the door and smile when I see Eric standing there, in a nice black button up, with the top button left open, and grey slacks.

"Hi" I say, and he smiles as he looks me up and down.

"You look amazing" he says and leans down to kiss my cheek. My nose fills with his heavenly scent and I have to hold back a moan I feel bubbling up in my chest.

"Thank you. Um, Eric theses are my roommates, Alice and Rosalie. Guys, this is Eric." I say, motioning between them. Eric steps in and walks over to the couch where Alice and Rose jump up and shake hands with him.

"Nice to meet you, ladies" he says, kissing the backs of their hands. He turns back to face me and ask me if I'm ready, and both of them mouth "Marry him" to me and I fight to keep my face straight as I tell him I'm ready. I grab my clutch and keys and walk out of the door as he rests his hand on the small of my back as we walk out to his car.

He holds the door open for me and helps me in and once I'm inside the car, I look around and see just how beautiful this car is on the inside, and he takes care of it very well because there's not a scrap of garbage or anything like that in here. He gets in the car, and starts it and I'm happy when I'm not assaulted by loud obnoxious music, instead, soft classic music plays through the car, and I instantly relax against the seat.

"Have you ever been to the Blue Room?" he asks and I nod my head. The Blue Room is a classy Lounge type thing downtown. The girls and I went there a couple of weeks ago, actually.

He smiles as he drives, and I can't help but look at him. He is truly a good looking man, and successful… there's got to be something wrong with him.

We pull up to the lounge and he walks around the car to help me out. We walk in and he tells the person in front that he has reservations for the VIP area. She smiles and leads us to the back and moves aside a long white curtain. On the other side, is a white leather couch, and a table in front of it. He thanks the woman and hands her some money and we walk to the couch. Someone comes along quickly to take our drink orders, and he orders a gin and tonic. The man jots down his order and looks over at me.

"I'll have a Scarlett O'Hara, please" the man walks away to fill our drink orders and Eric smiles at me.

"Nice choice" he says, and I laugh.

"Thank you…. So tell me about yourself"

"Well. What do you want to know?" he asks, just as our drinks are brought out. We thank the man and I take a sip of my drink.

"Whatever you think I should know" I say. The smile never leaves his face as he takes a sip of his drink and clears his throat.

"Ok, Well. My family is from Sicily, my parents moved to America when I was 4. I have 2 brothers, and 1 sister who live on the east coast, but every year we all get together and take a trip back home to Italy…" I'm lost in his eyes as I listen to him speak. The way he says certain things with that accent makes me want to pounce on him right here, but I keep myself calm and listen to him.

"I'm 30 years old, never been married, no kids and I'm a pediatrician."

Wow… he's perfect…

"My hobbies are reading, painting and listening to music, and my favorite types of music are classical, jazz and a little bit of rock."

He smiles, and reaches down to grab his drink as I sit there, slack jawed as I watch his lips press against the glass…

So sexy….

"What about you? Tell me about yourself." he says, and I take another sip of my drink and put it down, resting my hands in my lap and looking up at him.

"I'm from Arizona, but my parents moved us from there to a small town called Forks when I was 2. They divorced when I was 5, and my mom moved back to Arizona and I went with her. I moved back to Forks with my dad when I turned 14, and I stayed with him until I went to UW. I have my Bachelors in Business Management, and I'm an assistant manager at… a store downtown. I'm 25, and I love to read, and watch movies and listen to music, and I love classical and jazz, and rock too, and a little bit of dance music."

He scoots closer to me, and looks at me as he smiles wider, and licks his lips.

"You like to dance?" he asks, and I can't form words, so I nod like a jackass.

"I know what we can do on our next date, then" he says picking up his glass from the table, and draining his glass.

Inside, I'm jumping up and down and then doing pelvic thrusts, and outside I smile and tell him that sounds great… a second date… with this sexy man…. Double score.

We continue to talk, but neither of us feel the need to drink anymore, so we leave and he takes me a couple of blocks away for this nice Italian restaurant to have dinner. We talk the whole time, him telling me funny stories about his family, and me telling him stories about me growing up as a clumsy child. The bill comes, and he slides his platinum card into the booklet, and hands it to the waiter.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" he asks me and I nod. I have chicken parmesan, and it was out of this world.

"I make better Italian food than this… maybe I'll show you some time."

He cooks too? Holy shit, I think I've hit the mother load.

I nod my head and we get up from the chairs as soon as he gets his card back we walks out to the car, his opening the door for me, and we start driving towards my house. We continue talking in the car, and I find that I really enjoy his company and when we pull up outside of my apartment, I think he's going to drop me off at the door, and say goodbye to me from there, but I'm pleasantly surprised when he parks in a parking spot, and gets out of the car. He opens the door for me, and we hold hands as he walks me to my door.

"I had a great time with you tonight, Bella." he says, and I smile and nod.

"I had a nice time with you too, Eric"

"Are you busy tomorrow?" he asks and I shake my head

"No. tomorrow I'm off from work actually, and I don't have any plans yet." I tell him, and his grin widens.

"You want to do something? I don't work either tomorrow, so maybe I can pick you up around noon, and we can have lunch and maybe go watch a movie or something?" I let out a light laugh and tighten my grip on his hand.

"That sounds great."

We stand there, smiling at each other, and I don't know whether to kiss him or hug him goodnight, and I'm about to move in for a hug, when he leans in closer to me, and brings his hand up to cup the side of my face.

"Can I kiss you?" he asks, and I nod way too quickly, which causes him to laugh loudly. His face turns serious quickly, and his face leans down and he presses his lips to mine. His lips are soft and warm, and after a second, our mouths open and we deepen the kiss. His hand is still on my face and his other hand comes up and rests on my hip as my hands come up in front to grip his shirt. His lips feel so perfect against mine, and I wouldn't mind staying like this all night.

We part way too soon, and we both breathe deeply as we try and catch out breaths. He looks at me, and then leans down, pressing his forehead against mine.

"That was amazing" he says, and I let out a breathy "yea" and my arms slide from the front of his shirt, to around him where they lock together behind his back.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Goodnight." he says, and leans back and softly gives me a quick kiss.

"Goodnight" I say, and stick my key in the lock. He starts to walk away once I have the door opened and as I look back at him, he turns and looks back at me and we both smile and I walk in, shutting the door and resting against it as Alice and Rose run over to me.

"How was it?" Rose asks, and I look at her, with a wide grin, and then look past her, out into space.

"Perfect…"

* * *

**:) So I'm doing this new thing. All reviewers will be sent a snippet from next chapter, so press review and leave me some love!**

**See ya soon, and FYI, next chapter is EPOV :)**

**-Ana**


	5. Chapter 5: New Job and Late Night Calls

**1 day early, because you guys are great! ;)**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 5: New Job and Late night calls

EPOV

I get ready, hoping that today will be a good day. I figure I deserve it. I look at myself in the mirror as I run a hand through my wet hair, not knowing what to do with it, and not really able to find it in me to care. I walk out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around my waist and walk into my closet, looking at my row upon row full with clothes, and I can't even say if anything in here's been worn, ever.

I walk up to the first row, picking out the first shirt I see and doing the same with the pants. I slide up my boxers, followed by my dark denim jeans I picked out, and then put the shirt over my head, and smoothing out the front. I walk back to the bathroom, and close the door, wanting to look at myself in the full length mirror.

Is this what the manager of a porn shop wears? Dark denim and a white t-shirt?

Today is my first day on the job, and I'm nervous.

After 5 years of being the manager at one of the best restaurants in Seattle, I don't remember what it feels like to be the new guy and what makes it even harder is that I'm the new guy, but I'm also the boss. When I lost my job because the restaurant I worked for went out of business, I went around searching for another management job in other restaurants downtown. Everyday, I would go to at least 5 places, fill out an application and give them my resume, only to have each of them tell me they had no openings for a manager. By the time the second month of having no job rolled around, I was desperate. I even tried to apply for bus boy, or waiter, but no one was hiring for those things either.

To make matters worse, my girlfriend of 2 years was constantly putting me down, as if it was my fault I lost my job. Lauren and I met when I was her boss at the restaurant, and I thought she was beautiful, so I decided to get to know her. After 3 months of 'talking', Lauren and I made it official and became a couple. My job as a manager at the restaurant paid well, and I was able to have nice things. I lived in a nice house, that my parents gave me when I graduated and it was filled with expensive furniture, and I drove a nice car, both of which I paid for with my own money and Lauren saw that and probably thought I had more than I really did.

After the house, I decided I was going to pay for everything else on my own, and even though the money was flowing in nicely, having a girl like Lauren that liked to be wined and dined, caused the money to flow right back out just as soon as it came. About 6 months into our relationship, Lauren moved in with me and then a week later she quit her job. I was so blinded by love, or what I thought was love, that I let it go. I let her be a kept girlfriend, and while I worked my ass off, she stayed home all day, taking care of the house, and cooking for us. That ended not too long after, and she started taking my money and spending it on herself. Everyday I would come home from work and see new bags littering the floor of my bedroom closet, and again, I let it slide, because I thought I loved her.

The day I got the news that the restaurant was going out of business, and I wouldn't have a job anymore, I didn't immediately panic. My checks would go into the bank, and I was pretty sure I had a decent amount in there to hold us off for a couple of months, but when I went and checked, and found less than $400, I flipped. Lauren had wasted thousands of dollars and now I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to make it.

Lauren grew up middle class. Her parents had good jobs, and they took care of her but after seeing the things I had, she enjoyed living a life with a little more money. She must've thought that just because my parents were wealthy, that I was mooching off of them or something but it couldn't have been farther from the truth. I haven't asked for a dime from my parents since they bought me this house over 5 years ago, stuck on proving I could do this on my own without their money.

When I told Lauren I had lost my job, she turned it to be my fault. If I would have done this, this wouldn't have happened, if I would have done that things would be different. Everyday, she stayed home as I went out and searched for a job, and you'd think she would have gone out there too to find something, but nope; "I don't want to work", she said to me. So I went alone, to find a job and I was really close to breaking and calling my parents for help, but thankfully one man helped me.

"Please… I have a degree in Business Management, but I'll do whatever you need done…" I begged the man who just stood there, shaking his head.

"I would love to help you, but we have no openings, and in this economy, we just can't afford to hire someone else. We'll keep your application on file and if anything comes up, we'll call you, but that's all I can do. I'm sorry." he said, and turned to walk back to his office in the back. I turned around, gripping the pen I'd used to fill out the application just minutes ago, and tried to fight the urge to let the tears fall.

I'd have to call my parents now… and they'd be so disappointed in me. I walked towards the door with my head hanging and bumped into someone before I reached the door.

"I'm so sorry" I said, holding my hands up and apologizing to the man I'd just bumped into. The man, an older man shook his head and told me not to worry.

"I'm alright… but are you?" he said, and I looked him in his eye, and shook my head. He introduced himself as Larry and I told him the situation I was in, and he listened the whole time, nodding his head, and reaching over and grabbing my shoulder as I spoke about what had happened. As soon as I finished, he held his hand out to me.

"Let me see your resume.." he says, and I hold a finger up and run out to my car, pull out a sheet from my stack of resumes and run back in, handing him the copy. He looks over it, smiling and once he's finished, his eyes raise up to meet mine.

"You were the manager at Twilight for 5 years? I loved that place." he says, and I nod my head.

"Let me tell you what. I own a store, and the managers I have now aren't doing their jobs, so if you want the job, you can have it. You probably wont be getting as much as you did at Twilight, but I can maybe go up to 18 an hour. "

I had made more than that, but something was better than nothing and I found myself agreeing right then before remembering that he hadn't told me what kind of store it was.

"Uh. Well, Eddie. How do you feel about 'Adult Stores'" he says, complete with air quotes and I'm shocked for a minute before I get over it. I'm a man, and everyman has watched some of that stuff at least a couple times in his life.

"That's fine, Larry. When can I start?" I told him, and he smacked me on the back and had me join him for lunch. He told me all about it, the store was called "The Original Bookstore" which he explained was so that if people got a hole of your statements, or you had something delivered, it would seem as though you've bought books or something like that.

After speaking with him for an hour over lunch, he told me I'd start the next day. I left the restaurant so happy that this was happening and I couldn't wait to tell Lauren about it.

When I got home, she wasn't there.

I waited for what seemed like forever, until I heard her car pulling up in the driveway. I walked to the window in the living room and watched as she got out of her car, and walked to the back and popped the trunk. She reached in, and then closed her trunk and started to walk in with a couple of bags and I waited for her to come through the door. The door opened and I watched as she strolled in and went to go and put her bags away.

"Lauren?" I say and walk out from the Living room. Her face looks shocked, but since she knows she's been caught, she tries to soften me up.

"Hi baby. I picked you up a couple of shirts to wear on your job interviews." she says, holding up a bag from Nordstrom.

"Where did you get the money for that, Lauren?" I ask her. Last time I checked, there was only about $150 in the bank, and I know the things she's holding in her hand are much more than that.

"Ummm. Isortofappliedforacreditcard….." she says quickly, probably hoping I would shrug it off, but I was done doing that.

"How are you going to pay for that, Lauren?" I ask her, and she chuckled nervously.

"Umm well. You're gonna find a job soon, and it was for you… so…" I hold my hand up, not wanting to hear anymore, and she shuts her mouth, looking up at me with her fake sad eyes.

"I don't even want to look at you anymore" I told her, and walked up the stairs to my room. She would be spending the night in one of the other rooms, and I didn't want to hear any crap about it.

I got up for work the next day, and dressed quickly, wanting to get out of the house before she came up to me and tried to sweet talk her way onto my good side. I drove to the shop about 2 hours before my shift, getting there extra early and Larry was waiting for me. He showed me around and told me pretty much what I'd have to do, and I took over, getting myself acquainted with the store.

About 10 minutes before the other employees are supposed to get there, I get a text from Lauren, calling me every name in the book. I call her up, and we fight for a couple of minutes before I hang up on her. And just like that, my day is fucked up. I walk around the store, waiting for someone to come in so I can take my anger out on them, and when I see a tall, skinny guy walk in through the door. He looks at me, and is about to smile when I start barking out orders. I tell him to alphabetize the DVD's which I know is categorized, but I don't give a fuck, I'm pissed and I want everyone to be miserable just like I am. I walk into the back room, and start to pace. Lauren does nothing but piss me off, and why do I keep her around?

Who the fuck knows.

I look up at the clock and see that the second employee I'm supposed to be working with has yet to come in, so just as I start to walk back towards the door, someone barges through and knocks right into me, immediately setting me off worse.

She pushes her brown hair out of her face and stares up at me, and I stare into her brown eyes, feeling the anger start to dissipate.

"Umm Sorry" she says, and as much as I want to tell her it's ok, I've already been tagged as the asshole, so I might as well own it.

"About what? Being 10 minutes late, or nearly knocking the air out of me because of your clumsiness." I say to her and she furrows her eyebrows and looks up at me.

"Ummm. Both. I guess?" Larry walks in the room just then, and introduces her as the assistant manager, Bella.

_Perfect name for a perfect woman, _I think to myself_._

_IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO_

As much as I wanted to get to know her, I was still so pissed off about Lauren, that I decided to make their lives miserable. I made them stay an hour later to unpack boxes, and then left them to lock up themselves.

My thoughts as I drive home are consumed with the brunette beauty that I work with. For some reason, I was so angry when I heard her talk about going on about her dating plan, and it was silly cause I had no reason to be. The woman I worked with was a single woman and could do whatever she wanted, but I wish it was me that had put that smile on her face.

I pull up to my house, and as soon as I walk in, Lauren walks up to me and smacks me clean across the face.

"Where the fuck have you been all day?" she says, standing on her tip toes and staring me down. I reach up and grab my face where it's stinging, and I laugh and walk away from her. She grabs onto my arm, and pulls me back and walks in front of me again, this time swinging her closed fist to my face. I've been hit harder before by guys, in fights, but the fact that she's the one hitting me, has me grabbing her arm. I twist it behind her back and get low until I'm about an inch from her face.

"If you ever fucking hit me again, Lauren, I swear you're done" I push past her and go to walk up the stairs, and she runs up, and stops in front of me.

"Where were you? Are you cheating on me?" she says, and I can't help but laugh, which only makes her madder.

"What's so fucking funny, Edward. I woke up and you were gone, and it's past midnight and this is the time you actually get home. Where the fuck have you been?"

"WORKING" I yell at her, and she looks at me with the dumbest look on her face. "Yea. I got a job at the original bookstore…. You would have known that if you hadn't pissed me off last night." I tell her and then try and walk past her up the stairs but she blocks every way I try and walk up. She grabs onto my shirt, and pulls me close to her, and begins placing open mouth kisses on my jaw line. I try and push away from her but she holds me firmly and looks down at me.

"I hate fighting with you. Please… lets just make up. I need you" she says, and as much as I don't want this, I do it, in hopes that it will make the brown eyed angel who's face is stuck in my head, disappear. I give in, and bend down to bring my lips to hers roughly. My hands run up and down her back as we deepen the kiss, as her hands are still in front, gripping a wad of fabric from my shirt in her hands. I bring my hands down and behind her to cup the swell of her ass, and I lift her. Her legs wrap around me and I take her to the first bedroom we reach, which happens to be the guest room. I take her roughly, and quickly, just needing to get the anger that she caused in me, out.

After we lay spent on the bed, I get up to toss the condom in the trash, and I walk into the closet to grab a towel and clean up. I open the doors, and I hear her tell me not to go in there, but it's too late. In front of me, on the floor of the closet, are bags upon bags from everywhere. Victoria's Secret, Macy's, Saks and much more. I turn to look at her and I can feel the anger rise in me. I storm out of the room, with her calling my name and I walk into the room which was ours, but now is mine, and I grab her suitcase from the top of the closet. I start yanking her clothes off of the hangers, and tossing them into the bag. She runs in, her clothes from earlier thrown on and she starts to ask me what I'm doing.

"You're leaving. You can go stay with your parents…. I don't want to fucking see your face."

"Edward, please…" I stop what I'm doing and turn around to face her.

"Please? You drained my bank account, and have been hiding things behind my back. I'm done dealing with you, Lauren." I say and turn back to continue packing her shit. She starts to cry quietly behind me, but I don't care. She's done this to me for the last time.

Once I finish packing all of her things, I take it down stairs to her car, placing it in the backseat, and shutting the door. She's crying in the front of the house, begging me not to do this, but I just can't do this anymore. I wont work hard just so she wastes everything and leaves me with nothing.

"Go!" I tell her, holding her keys out to her. Her eyes are red, and her tears are still dripping down her face as she grabs them. I walk past her, into my house and she tries to say something to me, but I shut the door in her face, officially done hearing what she has to say.

I wait until I hear her car driving out of the driveway before I walk up to my room and as soon as I lay down, I fall asleep, wanting to just get this day over with.

I wake up the next morning, hoping to be a little different with Bella today. I want her to see that I'm not so bad, I want her to like me. I take extra time getting ready and I even spritz on some cologne. I speed to the job, and once I get there, Tony is already there. He looks over to me, and darts his head away quickly, not trying to meet my eyes again and I know I've messed up with them. Maybe when Bella gets here I can start fresh with her. I stare at the clock, and start to get pissed off when I see that shift started 30 minutes ago, and she's still not here. I storm out of the back room and walk over to Tony.

"What's Bella's number? I need to call her and see what time she plans on coming in today." he looks at me like I've got 3 assholes, and shakes his head.

"Today's Friday. She's off."

I feel like a jackass.

"Oh", I say and walk back into the office.

I heard her talking yesterday and I know she had a date today but I kind of thought she had work today, so I'm disappointed that I won't be seeing her. I stay out of Tony's way, only coming out of the office to help when things got busy.

After a pretty busy night, I go home, glad that I don't have to deal with Lauren anymore, and I fall asleep almost immediately and dream of waves of dark brown hair, and pale, dewy skin.

I wake up the next morning, knowing that I'm going to see her today, and I hop in the shower. When I step out, I hear the sound of my cell phone ringing and I wrap the towel around myself and run out, grabbing the phone and pressing the green button.

"Hello?" I say, confused because the call is coming from a private number, and I feel my blood begin to boil when I hear the annoying voice I've tried so hard to get away from.

"The Original Bookstore, huh? Is that what you're doing now, working in porn?" Lauren says, and my grip on the phone gets tighter until I start to hear the plastic start to crack.

"Lauren. Leave me alone. I'm not going to tell you again" I say and then hang up, mad as ever. I dress up, forgetting how happy I was to see _her, _and I make my way downstairs and out to my car. I speed all the way to the job, and when I get there, Tony is already cleaning up inside. I nod my head gruffly to him and walk into the back room as I watch the clock and wait for her to get here. After 5 minutes have passed, I walk out of the back room, and wait by the door for Bella to get in. When she finally does, 15 minutes late, I call her attention.

"You're late, Bella. Is this going to be a regular thing with you?" I tell her and I see as she rolls her eyes and knocks me out of the way to walk past me and into the back room. When she comes back out, I get a look at her shirt and I have to calm myself to keep from hardening right there. If she only knew how bad I wanted to do exactly what is on her shirt, but for some reason, the asshole comes out in me.

"That shirt is very offensive…" I say and she swings around and starts going off.

"Ok, First off. I'm late because I burned my fucking hand with hot coffee in the gas station, and I had to get it treated. Second, we work in a porn shop, Edward. Almost everything in here is offensive to most people, and Third, the shirt is talking about a stamp. Shit, get your fucking mind out of the gutter." I feel humiliated, and I hate that. I turn around and walk into the back room, slamming the door shut behind me, and digging my hands in my hair.

That girl is going to be the death of me.

I pace around my office for a bit, and then begin looking over the books. I look up a while later, realizing it's almost lunch time, and I'm about to walk out and actually make conversation with them, but I hear a cell phone ring, and press my ear against the door when I hear it's Bella.

I grip onto the doorknob so hard when I hear her flirting with someone over the phone. It sounds like she agrees to go out with him, and I'm jealous.

I have no reason to be, but I still am….

I huff back to the desk and continue to do some work. About 15 minutes later my nose is assaulted by the smell of Chinese food, which I detest and I'm still pissed about Bella flirting with someone, so I storm out of the room, and start opening the windows and doors, telling them the food stinks.

"Sorry" Tony says, and I look up at him, thinking Bella will say something, but she looks to be ignoring me.

The rest of the day goes by quickly and it's almost time to close up when I hear the screeching familiar voice of Lauren.

"Do I look like I would need anything in here?" I hear her say, and I press my ear against the door to hear who she's talking to.

"I don't know… maybe I can get you a nice plug to replace that stick you have shoved up your ass" I hear Bella say to her, and I can barely hold back my laughter. Bella sure is a live wire.

I calm my face, and turn the knob, opening the door and looking right at Lauren. I ask her what she's doing here, and she points to Bella and asks me if I heard what she said to her. I wanna say, "yea, and you deserved it, you spoiled little bitch" but I hold back.

I grab her by the arm, and pull her into my office, and shut the door behind us.

"I told you to leave me alone, didn't I?" I ask her, as I stand about 2 feet away from her. She shifts from foot to foot, avoiding my eyes and I bring my fist up and slam them down on the desk.

"Didn't I?" I yell. She jumps and her eyes meet mine.

"Please.. Edward, I love you…" she begins, but I huff, and walk away from her, not wanting to hear this crap.

"Lauren. Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you… don't want to see you.. Don't even want to think of you, ever again. Get the fuck out of my life, and stay out." I say. I take a seat at my desk, and wait for her to get out of the damn room, but she stays there, looking at me, maybe hoping I'll change my mind about this, but I have no intention of doing that. After a couple of minutes, she slings her bag up on her shoulder, and reaches the door knob.

"You'll regret this…" she says, before turning the knob and walking out of the room. I stand up and run my hands through my hair as the stress of the situation hits me.

Crazy fucking bitch.

I reach the door, and see the look on Bella's face, and I know she must be worried about my reaction to her speaking that way to Lauren, so I decide to call her into the back. She slowly walks towards me, not meeting my eyes, and as soon as she gets in the room, I shut the door behind us. I stand facing her, pinching the bridge of my nose with my index and thumb fingers, trying to ease the headache that Lauren brought on.

"Edward… I'm.." she starts to say, but I hold my hand up to silence her.

"I just want to let you know you're not in trouble for saying what you did to her." I say, and her eyes meet mine, and I feel my lungs start to tighten in my chest.

"Who was she?" she asks, and I want to tell her the whole story. I want to tell her that she's my crazy ex, who took all of my money and fucked up my life, but instead I tell her she's my girlfriend… like an asshole.

"…But I told her not to come to my job, but she seems to have a hard time listening to what I say." I continue, and she nods, and keeps her eyes on me. After a couple seconds of silence, my mind starts telling me to do certain things, and all I want to do right now is reach out and touch her, doesn't matter where… I just want to feel her. So I have to revert back to the asshole me before it happens.

"That's all, Bella. You can go back to work now." I say, and she turns around, and walks out of the room, leaving me to my thoughts, and my penis that seems to have a mind of it's own.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The day goes by, and after It's closing time, I close up the shop, and walk out to my car.

I'm dreading going home, since I'll just go to sleep, only to wake up and come back to work where Bella won't be. I looked on the schedule and saw that she's off tomorrow, and I can't stand that I wont be able to see her until the next day.

I get into my car, and speed home, hoping like hell Lauren is no where near, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see my house is empty.

Maybe she got the message… finally.

I get out of my car, and walk up the drive, and to the door, unlocking it and walking in. After a shower, and a ham and cheese sandwich, I make my way to bed and as soon as my head hit's the pillow, I'm out.

The sound of my cell phone ringing from the nightstand wakes me up. I sit up, groggy, and blink the film out of my eyes as I look to the bedside table clock, and see that it's just after 4 in the morning.

Who the fuck is calling me at this time?

I pick the phone up and look at the screen, seeing a number I don't recognize. I huff, and answer, hoping for the person on the other ends sake that there's a good reason for this fucking morning wake up.

"Hello?" I say, gruffly, into the phone.

"Edward? It's Tony." what the fuck does he want at this time?

"Yes…"

"I just called to say that I can't come in later on today. My daughter is in the hospital, and I'm on my way now to see her. I tried to call Bella, but she's not answering and I need her to work my shift today."

Fuck yea.

"Um. You want me to call her for you?" I ask, and he says yes, and rambles off her phone number, which I quickly punch into my phone and save. I tell him I'll call her, and he thanks me, and tells me he'll call me later. I end the call, and stay looking at my phone. I don't know whether to call her now or wait until later.

I know that no matter what time I call her, she's going to be pissed… especially that she has to be stuck with me all day.

But I can't wait….

* * *

**I hope you guys liked the look into Edward's mind... **

**Remember, Reviewers get previews of next chapter... so click that button and leave me some love :)**

**See ya soon ;)**

**-Ana**


	6. Chapter 6: Cancelled Plans and Stabbings

**A little early because I'm impatient...**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 6: Cancelled Plans and Stabbings

_His strong warm hands travel up from my ankle to my thigh, caressing me and causing goose bumps to pop up all over me. They travel to my panties, fingers gliding over the black lace, tickling me in the best way. His lips travel the same course as his hands, every now and then letting his warm tongue dart out and taste my skin. His mouth reaches my belly button, and he places soft kisses around it, before continuing the path down until he reaches the waist of my underwear. _

_I look down at him, wanting to see what he's doing and that's when he opens his mouth, grabs the lace of my panties in his teeth, and starts to tug them down my legs with his mouth. _

"_Oh Shit" I moan out, as he raises his body up from me, and I see my panties hanging from his mouth. He swings his head, sending my panties swinging side to side in his mouth and then releases them, sending them flying to the floor. He comes close to me, holding himself up by his arms at either side of my waist. _

"_I want to taste you…" he says, hovering over me and I can't fight the loud porno moan that comes from me. _

"_Fuck yea.." I say, and he smiles, before lowering his head to where I desperately want him. I look down my body and see as his positions himself between my legs, and I watch as he looks up at me, and sticks his tongue out, ready to take the first taste of me. I throw my head back, waiting for what is going to be probably the best sensation I've ever felt in my life._

The sound of my ring tone, 'Peanut butter, Jelly time' from The Family Guy, has me shooting up in bed, and cursing whoever the fuck it is that woke me from that amazing dream. I can feel the sweat dripping from my body as I grab my phone from my nightstand, and look at the time.

6:30 am… someone had a damn death wish.

I press the green button and put the phone to my ear.

"Someone better be dead, or this better be a call telling me I just won millions of dollars…" I say, and am met by a familiar sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Um. Bella? It's Edward…"

What the fuck is he doing calling me… and how did he get my number.

"What the fuck are you doing calling me. And how did you get my number?" I say into the phone. It's way too damn early for my filter to work right now.

"I, uh. Well, I'm calling because Tony isn't going to be able to come in today. Something happened with his daughter, so he had to go and see her."

"Oh my god. What happened to his little girl?" I ask, truly worried for her.

"I don't know. He just called me and told me he had been trying to call you but you wouldn't answer."

Oh

"So. I need to come in today?" I ask him, cutting to the damn chase.

"Yes." he says.

"Ugh. Ok. I'll be there." I say and hang up the phone.

Just my luck. I have an all day date with Dr. Sexy, and I have to bail out on him… damn it.

I look down at my phone, wondering if I should call right now, but then decide against it. I'll wait until around 8 before I call him… I wouldn't want to wake him up. Especially if he's having a dream like I just did.

Shit that was a hot dream.

I lay back in bed, contemplating whether or not I should double click my mouse, but then decide against it. I get out of bed, and walk out into the living room, grab the remote from the table, and switch on the Television. I'm harassed by a bunch of infomercials on the usual channels I watch, and then decide to put on my premium channels, settling on 'Pineapple Express'. Since it's Sunday morning, I know the girls wont be up until later, so I try and keep my noise down as I laugh at the craziness of the movie.

An hour and a half later, the movie is over and I look over at the clock and see it's just after 8 in the morning. I get up slowly from the couch, shutting the TV off, and I walk back into my room to grab my phone to call Eric, and get ready for my day.

I hate cancelling. But it is for a good reason, and I don't mind helping Tony out… or am I helping Edward out by coming in? what ever.

I scroll down to his name, and I press the green button. As if I didn't feel guilty enough, he answers on the 2nd ring, and says the cutest thing.

"I was looking at my phone, contemplating whether or not I should call you. I've been thinking about you all night, Bella." he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice.

Which makes this much harder.

"Oh, Eric. I'm sorry, but I got called into work today, so I'm afraid we wont be able to spend the day together.

"Oh" he says, and I can imagine his face dropping and his brow furrowing. "Well. What about tonight? Do you want to go out tonight?" I shake my head, and start to explain.

"I don't think so. I have to be at work all day. Do you work tomorrow?" I ask him, knowing that I have the morning off.

"Yea. I work all day tomorrow. The next day I have the night off is Wednesday." he says, and I smile into the phone. Hating that I'm going to have to wait that long to see him, but happy that I will actually get to see him again.

"I'm off Wednesday night too."

"Good. It's a date then" he says, and I smile into the phone. "I'll call you when I get a minute, Principessa" he says, and I feel my legs start to shake from the sound of that damn accent.

"Ok. Bye" I say, and then press the red button, ending the call with Dr. Sex on a Stick. I take a deep breath and let out a loud sigh, before stripping out of my Pj's and walking into the bathroom. After my shower, I dry off, and then put on some jeans and my shirt that says "That's What She Said" in big red letters, before slipping on my red converse.

I walk out of my room, and into the kitchen, grabbing myself an Otis Spunkmeyer Blueberry muffin and then grabbing my keys from the counter, and walking out to my car.

I get to the shop early, which is new for me, so I take the last bite of my muffin and toss the wrapper to the floor, I'll clean it up later. I get out of the car, huffing when I see Edward's car already in the parking lot, and I get to the door, and swing it open.

Edward is seated behind the counter, head down as he reads some magazine, but his head shoots up when the door closes, and he smirks.

He fucking smirks.

"Wow." he says, looking down at the watch on his wrist. "you're on time? That's new!" he says, and then goes back to his magazine. I shake my head, and walk to the back room, placing my shit in there, and then come back out. I walk behind the counter, next to him and take a seat on the stool.

We sit there, not talking but the urge I feel to just turn around and talk to him is almost painful. I can feel the buzz of electricity as it courses through the room.. The urge to speak to him, or even look at him is filling the room and I don't know what to do with myself.

After a couple of minutes of twiddling my thumbs, I look up from the corner of my eye and see Edward still flipping through the damn magazine, completely ignoring me.

No one ignores me.

"So, how about those dolphins?" I ask, and look at him. He raises his head and looks over to me, brow furrowed and a questioning look on his face.

"What dolphins?" he asks, and I don't know what to say.

"Umm. The baseball team?" I say, not really sure if the dolphins are in fact a baseball team, but I need to wing it.

He starts to laugh, and shakes his head.

"Well, I'm not sure about the Baseball team, but the Football team is garbage.." he says, smirking over at me and I feel my face start to get hot. I'm running through things to say back, when thankfully someone comes in the shop. It's a woman, maybe around my age, and she goes straight to the rabbits and shit. I hop off of my stool, and walk through the store, over to where she is, and I ask her if she needs help. Her eyes dart to mine, and she smiles and nods her head.

"Yea. Do you have a waterproof one of these?" she says, holding up one of the rather large rabbits.

"Yea.. It's right… here" I say, looking around before I find the large blue rabbit with 'Waterproof' written on the package.

"Thanks." she says, and stands there, looking at me as if she needed something else.

"Can I help you find anything else?" I ask her, and she blushes and nods her head.

"Do you guys have anything.. For like.. Um. Smell.. Down there." she says, pointing down to her cooter.

"Um No. Maybe you should check with a doctor. It could be serious." I say, and she nods her head, and tells me she'll like to pay for the rabbit now. I head to the counter where Edward is standing, magazine put away, and he smiles as the woman reaches the counter.

"I'll take care of this" he says, and I nod my head, and take my seat back on the stool. I look up at the woman, who has pushed out her chest and is battering her eyes like a damn idiot at Edward. I feel a scoff coming on, but I try my best to keep it down.

"That'll be $96.57" Edward says, and the woman hands him her credit card. She leans over the counter, pushing her fake breasts together and resting the on her arms and he hands her the card back.

"Will you be needing a bottle of lubricant today?" Edward asks, and she shakes her head, and darts her tongue out to slowly lick her lips.

"All I need to do is think of you, and I won't have a problem getting wet." she says, and I jump up from my seat as I start coughing, chocking on my own damn saliva.

"You Ok, Bella?" Edward asks, and I nod my head, as I fight to catch my breath again. Once the coughing slows down, I take my seat again as the woman's receipt is printed out.

"Thank you for shopping. Have a nice day." Edward says and goes to hand her the receipt, but she shakes her head and pull a pen out of her purse.

"How about I give you my number, and you give me yours?" she says, and then begins to jot her number down on the back of the receipt. She hands him her number, and then hands him the other side of the receipt and the pen for him to place his number on it.

I don't know what comes over me, but the next thing I know, I'm snatching the pen from Edward's hand, and jotting down a number of someone I know this girl will need. I slam the pen down and hand her the other side of the receipt back.

"That's the number to my Gynecologist… you should call him up so he can give you something for your crotch rot."

The woman's face turn bright red, and she snatches the paper from my hand and storms out. I don't know why I just did that, but seeing her flirting with Edward pissed me off for some reason…

Holy shit… What the hell is wrong with me? Edward doesn't belong to me… nor do I want him to…

Right?

"What was that?" Edward asks, bringing me out of my own thoughts. I look up at him and shake my head, not really sure what to say to him.

"Well… thank you" he says, and my head darts back to look at him. He's wearing a crooked smile that makes me just about cream my panties, and I find myself biting my lip, which is totally what I do when I'm trying to get laid.

What. The. Fuck.

My phone ringing from my pocket brings me out of my daze, and I drop my head and reach into my pocket to pull it out, immediately smiling when I see who it is.

"Hi.. Didn't think I'd hear from you this soon…" I say, smiling into the phone.

"Well, I told you I'd call you when I get a break, Principessa…. What are you doing?"

"I'm here at work. What are you doing? Have a busy day so far?" I ask him, and he laughs.

"No. I actually just have been sitting here at home, watching garbage television and thinking about you." he says, and I can't help but chuckle into the phone.

"So, garbage television reminds you of me?" I ask him. I look up for some reason, and catch Edward looking at me as I talk to Eric on the phone, mouth clenched and jaw flexing and he looks pissed….

"No… but these shows don't hold my attention so I find myself drifting to thoughts of you…" he says, and his accent is so fucking sexy, that I feel my girly parts start to pulse.

"What kind of thoughts?" I ask him, biting my lower lip, and squeezing my legs together. I'm really getting into this to the point where I might have to go to the bathroom to take care of myself, when the sound of Edward clearing his throat has me snapping my head up in his direction.

"Isabella. If you don't mind, you are at work. You can have phone sex later, when your shift is over." he says, eyes on fire as he stares down at me.

"Um. Eric. Can I call you later?" I say, eyes still on Edward as his eyes burn through me.

"Of course, Principessa. I'll be by my phone." he says, and I smile and tell him bye, and hang up.

"What's the problem?" I ask Edward, standing up to put the phone back in my pocket. He shakes his head, and gets up from his stool, walks past me and walks into the backroom, slamming the door behind him.

What the fuck is his deal?

I don't see him for the next couple of hours, but it's ok, because not very many people come in. An hour before closing, my cell phone rings and I grab it, and see 'Tony' across my screen.

"Hey.. Is everything alright?" I ask as soon as I hit the green button and hold the phone up to my ear.

"Yea. She's fine. She just had an allergic reaction to something she ate, but she'll be fine." he says, and I exhale a long breath, gripping onto the fabric of my shirt.

"That's good. So do you think you'll be out for a couple more days?" I ask him. Even though I know I'll have to deal with Edward, I'll work his shifts for him if he needed me to.

"No. Actually, we're going to be leaving soon." he says, and I can hear the smile on his voice, and it make my own smile pop on my face.

"You're bringing them back with you?" I ask, and he laughs.

"Yea. I missed them, and I don't want them to be so far anymore. I got a job, ya know. And we can find our own place over there…"

"Of course! And if you need any help, I won't hesitate to help you, got it?" I say, and he laughs once more.

"Sure. Thank you, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow" he says, and I hang the phone up, not able to keep the smile from my face. Just then, I hear the sound of the door to the back room squeak, and I look up to see Edward leaning against the door frame, staring at me.

"What did I tell you about personal calls?" he asks, eyes narrowed at me. I'm torn between laughing at how ridiculous he's being and jumping his bones because his 'pissy' face is the hottest thing I've ever seen.

"Actually, you didn't say anything about personal calls, just not to have phone sex at work…" I say, smirking and then turning away from him and walking away.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The drive home is tiring. I've been working all damn day and I'm exhausted. I look at the clock on the dash and see that it's a little after 11, and I'm ready to crash on my bed. Seriously, I'm going to walk in the house, kick off my shoes, and knock the fuck out.

I pull into my parking space, and shut the car off, and start to walk to the door, when I see movement from the corner of my eye. So I do what any rational person would do…

I fucking make a run for it!

I've seen all those horror movies. The girl is walking by herself in the dark, maybe to her car, maybe to her house, sometimes they have no reason to be in the dark; they just are. She sees something move, and she stops… right in the middle of the fucking darkness, and looks around, and if that wasn't worse enough, she then starts to call out "Is anybody there"

Dumb ass.

I refuse to be one of these woman. So as I run to my door, I hold my keys in my hand, poking the ridge-y part of the key in between my index and middle finger so that if anyone approaches me, I'll stab them with the damn key….

Hey.. It's either that, or I throw fucking mints at my attacker.

I reach the door, and just as I'm about to put my key in the door, I feel someone poke me in the back.

The most embarrassing moment of my life, thus far, happens next.

I jump from the sensation of my attacker touching me, and I whirl around, wielding the key/ weapon in between my fingers. I swing my hand, and stab my attacker in the arm with the key, hearing him grunt out in pain as I feel the key rip through his skin. I turn back around, and push the key in the door, in a rush to get into the house, and call 9-1-1 and that's when I realize the attacker is saying my name.

"Damn it, Bella. I'm sorry…." I hear Dr. Sex on a stick say, in his un mistakable accent, and I gasp and turn around. I open the door to my apartment, eyes still on him, and reach into the hall, and switch on the porch light. There, in a nice mint green button up, and black pants with the shiniest fucking shoes I've ever seen, stands Eric. He's clutching his arm, and I can see the blood pooling on the light fabric of his shirt.

"Eric.. Shit. I'm sorry.. I thought you were a psycho killer or something." I say, placing my hand over his on his arm.

"I should have called… but I wanted to surprise you.." he says, nodding down to the ground. There at my feet are two dozen of the most beautiful white roses I've ever seen. I crouch down to pick them up, and immediately bring them to my nose, inhaling the sweet scent coming from them.

"They're beautiful. Thank you" I say, and he groans out in pain, and then forces a smile on his face. "Oh, shit.. Sorry.. What do I need to do?" I ask, tucking the bouquet under my arms, and holding my hand out to him.

"Um. You got me pretty good, I think I need to clean it and put a covering on it…" he says, and I nod my head, and grab his good arm, pulling him into the apartment. I walk him in, pulling him to the kitchen counter and grab the first aid kit under the sink. I turn on the water, and wash my hands, before grabbing the gloves from the box and putting them on.

"Um. Do you want to take off your shirt?" I ask him, and he nods, and goes to unbutton his shirt, and groans out in pain when he tries to move his injured arm.

"Can you.. Um. Do it for me?" he asks, and I nod, and bring my hands up to his shirt. I start to slowly unbutton his shirt from top to bottom, and I have to try and hold back the moan that is threatening to escape my mouth as I take in the sliver of his chest that keeps getting bigger as I open his shirt. Eric's chest is hairless, and his muscles are fucking beautiful, poking out under his tanned, Italian skin. I dart my tongue out, and lick my lips; this man is beautiful. I reach the last button, and pull his shirt open, revealing his whole chest, which at this moment I want to lean forward and lick him from neck to happy trail.

"Uh. Here. Move your arms so I can take this off of you." I tell him, and he slowly brings his arms down, allowing me to tug the shirt off his shoulders and down and off of his arms. Once it's off, I fill the sink with cold water, and place the shirt in it.

Eric tells me how to treat his wound, and I do just as he says… he is the doctor after all. After it's completely cleaned, and dressed, I sit with him on the sofa. The girls left a note on the counter, saying they would be out tonight, so I knew I had the house to myself.

So there I am, sitting on my sofa, in my living room, with fucking sexy ass Eric Marciano, MD….

"I'm sorry about your arm…" I say as I grab the remote and flip on the TV. He smiles at me, and reaches his good arm over and rests his hand on my knee.

"It's ok, principessa. I should have said something instead of just creeping up on you like that." he says, and takes his hand off my lap, placing it on the top of the couch behind me and motioning for me to scoot next to him. I smile at him, and begin to make my way from the other side of the couch to right up against him. Once our sides are touching, I bring my feet up and tuck them next to me, and flip through the channels, looking for something decent to watch.

I settle for a rerun of CSI: Miami, and even though I can't stand this damn show (Damn that Horatio and his one liners), I'm not paying attention to it anyway. I watch Eric from the corner of my eye, and I can see him watching it. I've never noticed how strong his jaw is….

"Can I kiss you, Bella?" he says, and I look at him, wondering when the hell he turned to look at me. I sit there looking at him, and he shakes his head. "I'm sorry. It's fine if you don't want to…" he says, and I hold my hands up and shake my head.

"No.. I'm sorry, it's not that… I just thought you were watching the show." I say, and he smiles, and leans closer.

"No. I'm watching you. Can I kiss you?" he says again, and I can feel the warmth spread from my heart to my girly bits. I nod my head, and watch as his head leans towards me. Our lips touch, and we both let out low moans at the feeling of them being pressed together. I can feel the warmth pass through me as we deepen our kiss and I scoot even closer to him. He moves his hand onto my back, and rubs up and down before moving it up, and grabbing the back of my head. My hands come in front of me, and I run both up and down his hard, warm chest, feeling the ridges and valleys of muscle under my fingers.

The sound of keys entering the lock on the door, and the doorknob turning has me snapping my head up and moving a couple of inches away from Eric. I look up at the door, and put on a smile as I see Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett walk through the door.

"Hi guys" I say, and try to hide the blush that creeps up on my face as I see both Alice and Rose's eyebrows raise, silently questioning what they just walked in on.

"Hi. You want to introduce us to your friend, Bella?" Emmett asks, and I look over to see him and Jasper staring Eric down.

"Um. Emmett, Jasper. This is Eric Marciano. Eric, Emmett is Rose's Fiancé, and Jasper is Alice's." I say, and Eric stands up, shirtless and with a bandage over his arm and walks over, holding out his good hand to shake it with theirs. Emmett and Jasper shake his hand, and look from Eric's chest, to his face, to my face and raise their eyebrows.

"So… what were you kids up to?" Jasper asks, and I can't help but laugh at the 'protective brother' routine.

"Bella here actually stabbed me with her keys when I surprised her earlier. I took off my shirt so she could help clean it and stuff…." he says, and all eyes turn to me, and I can't help but duck my head.

"Bella. You stabbed him with your keys?" Rose asks, and after a couple of seconds of silence, everyone but me bursts out laughing.

"Yea… I did. I thought it was some crazy killer on the loose, and I had to defend myself…" I say, and they continue laughing, until I turn to Eric, and grab his hand, ready to haul him into my room.

"Sorry, Bells. That's just too funny." Emmett says, and then holds his hands up, promising he wont laugh anymore.

"So, what do you do, Eric?" Jasper asks and we all settle in around the living room.

"I'm a doctor" he says, and while Jasper, says 'ooh' and nods his head, Emmett jumps out of his chair and walks over to Eric.

"Well, since you're here and all, can you take a look at this rash…" he says, walking over to us, and then turning around so that his back is facing us. He goes to pull his pants down as he lifts his shirt, and the girls and I all jump up and shake our heads, holding our hands out.

"Fuck, Em." I say, and he looks around at all of us and our looks of mortification on our faces.

"What?" he asks, looking at all of us. "Too soon?"

* * *

**:)**

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**Rec's:**

**Tropic Of Virgo by In..bathrobe**

**His Personal Assistant by NorthernLights17**

**See ya soon - Ana**


	7. Chapter 7: Annoying Calls&Surprise dates

**Ta-da! Another chappy! Just cuz you guys rock :)**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 7: Annoying Calls and Surprise Dates

"I know you stabbed me and everything, but thanks for a nice night. I really enjoyed spending time with you." Eric says, and I can feel the blush creep up my face.

"I enjoyed it too." I say, and then suck my bottom lip into my mouth as he leans closer to me. Our noses touch, and then his lips press against mine. My skin starts to warm all over, excited to be feeling his kisses, even though we had spent most of the night like that. I bring my arms up from my sides, and wrap them around his neck, pulling him closer to me. He moans into my mouth, which I take as encouragement and tilt my head to deepen the kiss.

Fuck his mouth is like magic.

I wonder what it would be like…

"We still on for Wednesday?" he says, pulling away from me and interrupting my thoughts.

"Of course. I can't wait." I say, smiling up at him.

"Me either. Talk to you soon, Principessa" he says, and I watch as he slowly turns around, and walks out to his car, wearing only a wife beater. I had forgotten about his shirt being in the sink, and I knew it wouldn't wash and dry in time for him to take it home, so Jasper just got one of his wife beaters from Alice's room and told him to take it. As much as I like seeing a shirtless Eric, he looks just as fucking scrumptious in a wife beater.

He reaches his car, and looks up at me as he grabs the door handle and waves with his free hand. I wave back, smiling so hard I feel like my face is going to crack, and then turn and walk inside.

"He's awesome, Bells. I think you found a good one!" Alice says, and I nod and walk past her, telling all of them I'll see them tomorrow.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

_I feel his hands caress me from neck to hips, his fingers dancing across my naked skin. I shiver under his touch, but inch closer to him, silently begging him to move his hand to where I need it. To where I'm wet and ready for him. _

"_Where do you want me to touch you, Bella?" his rough voice says as his lips press against my collarbone and his hands move lower, over my belly button and then to my thigh. I shift my body when his hands reach the tops of my thighs, dying to have him touch me there._

_He chuckles softly, and presses a burning kiss to my chest, and looks up at me. "You want it there?" he says, bringing his hand dangerously close to my folds. I nod my head frantically, whimpering for him to touch me._

"_Are you wet?" he asks, and I nod again and my teeth clamp down on my bottom lip and I can feel a sheen of sweat cover my body. _

"_Relax baby. I'm going to make you feel good." he says, and I throw my head back and wait for his fingers to reach where I'm wet and ready for him. _

My phone starts to ring and vibrate, sending me shooting out of bed, and cursing out loud that for the second time in a row, my yummy sex dreams have been disturbed by the damn phone.

I'm seriously going to start shutting this bitch off at night.

I press the green button, and pull it up to my ear, but not before letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Hello?" I say into the phone

"Bella? Honey, are you Ok? You sound horrible!" the voice of my mother comes frantic from the other end.

"Yes. I'm fine… I was sleeping.." I say, throwing myself back on the pillows, and bringing my hand up to massage my forehead, preparing for the headache that always seems to come when I talk to my mother.

"Sleeping? It's after 10 in the morning! I've been up for hours already!" she says.

Of course you've been up for hours… you have a husband who's 45 years old, and doesn't do a damn thing for himself.

"Well, I worked last night, Mom" I say, already feeling the beginning throb in my head.

"Hmm. Ok, well how are you?"

"I'm good. How are things over there?" I ask, not really caring, but just trying to be the typical considerate daughter.

"Oh, well. We're fine. Phil's at work. You know he got a job at that office around the corner from your old dance studio… he's been there for a couple of days already, and it seems like he really likes it. I got a new cat. We named him Gino…" I put the phone down on my pillow, and get out of the bed. When my mom gets started recapping what's going on with her, I usually have about 10 minutes where I can go and do what I need to do and then come back to the phone, and still hear her yapping about everything, yet nothing at all.

I walk into the bathroom, start the sink and collect some cool water from the sink in my hands and splash my face with it. I dry my face off, and grab my toothbrush from the holder, and squeeze some toothpaste on it, and then get to work getting rid of the peach fuzz left on my teeth from sleep. After I've finished with that, I relieve myself on the toilet, and then walk to my closet, pulling out my clothes for today.

I lay the clothes on the bed, and then sit on the end, and turn around to grab the phone.

Sure enough, she's still going…

"…and then I tried the light blue, but it just didn't look right. I think I might try the brown one again, it looks better with our couches."

I take advantage of her taking a breath, and try to end this call.

"Wow, Mom. Hey, I actually have to go to work, so can we talk later?"

"Sure, honey. When are you going to come visit? I miss you!" she asks.

"Umm. I don't know when I can get off, Mom. I'll try, ok?" I say, and I hear her sigh into the phone.

"I guess. I'll call you later"

"Bye mom"

"Bye Bella"

I press the red end button on my phone and let out a loud groan. Calls with my mother are always draining. I love her to death, but I just don't like going home to her.

My mother is the main reason I didn't want to have a serious relationship with anyone. When she and my dad divorced when I was 5, we both moved to her hometown in Arizona. Growing up with my mother was never dull. She worked hard during the week, and then the weekends, we would always do something. It continued like that until I turned 13 and my mom met Phil.

Phil seemed like a good guy. He worked hard and loved being with my mother. A couple of months after they got together, I started noticing things missing; at first it was little things, like bracelets and earrings. Then one day I came home to find that our computer was gone. Our computer that housed a big project I had in one of my classes and was due at the end of the week. I remember running to my mom, and asking her what happened, only to have her say that she took it somewhere to get fixed.

Days go by, and there's still no sign of it, and even worse, things are still turning up missing. 2 weeks later, I felt I had enough of the run around from my mother, and I confronted her.

That blow up that happened that day was so bad, it had me on the next flight to Washington to live with my father.

The knock at the door brings me out of my memories, and I walk over and pull it open. Rose is standing on the other side of the door, holding the largest bouquet of orchids I've ever seen in a clear glass vase.

"These came for you…. From a Mr.- oh, excuse me. A Dr. Eric Marciano" she says, and I giggle as she hands me the card.

_Bella_

_I can't stop looking at the scar on my arm and thinking of you._

_I can't wait until Wednesday._

_Eric_

I reach over and smack Rose on the arm. "He didn't put Dr., you ass" I say, laughing and she joins in and shakes her head.

"He should have!" she says, and then hands me the bouquet. There's about 30 stems with the most vibrant, purple orchids I've ever seen.

"They're beautiful" I say, as I touch one of the petals. I sigh, and then walk to my dresser and place the bouquet there.

"I like him.. He seems like a good guy" Rose says, and I smile and walk over to hug her.

"He is…"

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

Rose and I talk for a little while and she tells me that she's finally decided on a date for her wedding. Emmett and Rosalie are tying the knot in a little over a month and she has chosen me to be her maid of honor.

I know right.

As crazy as it sounds, I'm kind of excited for it. I can see myself walking down the aisle in front of Rose, and looking around at the people and seeing Eric sitting there, waiting for me.

I bet he'd look delicious in a tux.

I get into my car, and travel to my job, parking and jumping out of the car once I get outside of the building. I smile when I look around the back and see Tony's car out there, and I grab the door handle and pull it open. Standing behind the counter is Tony, head in his hands as he slumps over the register.

"Hey!" I yell and he shoots up out of the stool, sending it toppling over to the ground. I chuckle lightly and make my way into the backroom. I open it, still laughing at the look on Tony's face when I scared him and my eyes land on Edward's as he looks up at me from his desk. The room is dimmed, except for the desk light on the corner of the desk, but somehow his eyes looks like they're glowing. Two green orbs glowing in the darkened room, and I find myself hypnotized for a moment, before the sound of him clearing his throat has me shaking my head and pulling myself back into reality.

"Hello Bella" he says, crooked grin and all on his face.

"H- Hi Edward. How are you today?" I say, walking to the desk and setting my purse and keys on it.

"I'm good. How about you?" he says, leaning back in his chair, watching me. I nod my head, and tuck my hands into my pocket.

"Good." I say, and he smiles, and nods. I smile back, and then turn and get the fuck out of there. Whenever I'm around him, the feeling of electricity humming around us is almost too much to handle. I don't know what it means, but it's starting to freak me the fuck out.

I walk to the counter, where Tony is giving me the evil eye and I smack him on the back.

"Snap out of it, Tone. How is your daughter?" I ask

"Good." he says, bringing his hand up and running it down his face. "I drove all night to get back in time, and I haven't slept a wink." his eyes are bloodshot from lack of sleep and the dark circles under them stand out against his caramel colored skin. I know he's exhausted, and I just can't help but feel bad for him.

"Go home, Tony" I say. His head snaps up to mine and he furrows his brows.

"What?" he asks, and I roll my eyes and shake my head.

"You're tired. I can work your shift for you. Now go home, and get to bed."

"But.."

"No buts. Just go. I'll see you tomorrow" I say, and shoo him out of the room. He smiles as h gets up from his stool, and then walks over to me, kisses the top of my head, and practically drags himself out of the door.

I start to tidy up the store, dusting the displays and all that good stuff, when Edward comes out of the backroom, and looks at me and then looks around the shop, looking for Tony I suppose.

"I sent him home" I say, and his head snaps to mine.

"Why would you do that?"

"He was tired…. He needs to rest up and then he can be back tomorrow…No big deal" he starts to step forward, eyes narrowed at me.

"Who told you that you were authorized to make that decision?" he says, stopping right in front of me. I tilt my head up and meet his stare dead on.

"I'm the assistant manager… I CAN make that decision!"

"NOT WITHOUT MY CONSENT!" he yells as he towers over me.

"Ok. 'Hey Edward… Tony is dead tired, and can't function right now.. Can I send him home so he can get some rest? Yes? Ok… Done.."

"I swear, Isabella… You're going to…" he begins, but the sound of the door to the shop opening has up both snapping our heads in the direction of the entrance.

"Did I interrupt something?" Larry says, with a smirk on his face. Edward and I part, while shaking our heads, and I walk over to Larry and kiss his cheek.

"How are you doing, Larry?" I ask him, and he smiles and shakes his head.

"Good. How are things going in here?" he asks, looking from me to Edward.

"Things are running smoothly here.." Edward says, keeping his eyes on Larry.

"Um. Good." Larry says, still looking from me to Edward, but we keep our faces calm, not wanting to tell Larry about the argument we were just having. Wouldn't want him to think we're incapable of doing our jobs.

"Well. The reason I'm here is to tell you that in a couple of weeks, there's going to be a convention and You guys are both going to be running the booth for our store."

My face perks up when I hear this.

"That's awesome! Where is it going to be?" I ask him. I hope it's somewhere kick ass, like maybe Vegas, or LA. I couldn't deal if it was in somewhere like Bismarck North Dakota..

"It's in Orlando, Florida. You'll be there for the weekend. We'll need to hire someone else so that they can stay back with Tony to run the store…"

The smile is so big on my face, that I can feel the corners of my mouth starting to burn a bit.

Larry explains a little bit about the trip. We'll basically just be spreading the word about out shop and selling some of our products. It's the weekend after Rose's wedding, and we leave that Thursday and come back Monday morning. After Larry leaves, Edward and I don't talk. We help the customers that comes in and all that, but we don't speak to each other at all. Finally, the clock hits closing time and I grab my shit and leave, anxious to get home. I walk out into the parking lot as I'm rummaging through my bag looking for my keys. When I find them, I grab them up and raise my head.

That's when I see the beautiful creature leaning up against my car in some khaki pants and a white button up, holding up a single pink Lily.

"What are you doing here?" I ask Eric once I reach him. He smiles and holds out the flower to me, and I can feel the heat rising in my face as the blush creeps up. "Thank you"

He smiles and walks forward, putting his hands on my waist and bending down, capturing my lips in a toe curling, kiss. "Did you get my flowers this morning?" he asks, and I nod my head. "In the note I told you I couldn't wait until Wednesday…" he says, smirking down at me.

I chuckle and then rest my forehead on his. "What do you have in mind?" he pulls back, and raises his hand to my face. He runs his fingers from my temple to my jaw, with a wide grin on his face.

"I made you dinner at my place." he says, and then kisses my forehead.

"Really? What did you make?" I ask, raising my hand and hooking my fingers into the waist of his pants.

"Homemade Garlic Bread. Lasagna. And for dessert, I made some tiramisu"

"Mmmm. Well, what are we doing standing out here then?" I ask him and he laughs and starts to walk to his car.

"Um. Wait. I have to work tomorrow, so let me bring my car, so you don't have to take me home later." the smirk on his face tells me he's thinking exactly what I'm thinking. But even though I have no plans to go home later, I still need to act like I do… don't want him thinking I'm easy.

"Ok, Principessa." he says, and then opens my driver door for me. "Follow me, eh?" he asks and I nod and watch as he shuts the door and then starts to walk to his car. His ass is looking edible in those damn pants and I have to shut my mouth as I feel my drool start to hit my legs. I start my car, and start to follow him out of the parking lot, and when I look up to the shop, I see Edward standing there, with a furious look on his face.

So I wave at him.

I follow Eric until we get to the gate outside his condominium. The gates open and I follow him through, and after a couple of turns, we end up in front of his place. I park across from him, and once I shut my car off, I go to open my door only to see him waiting on the other side for me to unlock. I clock the button and the locks pop up, and he opens my door for me, kissing my hand as I get out and then closing the door behind me. The area is nice, so I decide to leave my bag and cell phone in the car, not wanting to be disrupted.

The condo's are beautiful, and he brings me to the door of a first floor condo, and unlocks and he ushers me inside.

I gasp when I see what he's done.

The room is dimmed, but the flicker of candle light is dancing across the walls and ceiling. The dining room table is covered in a red table cloth, with two white candles, and the table is set with a beautiful set of plates with gold patterns painted on the front.

"Wow" I say, as I go to step in, but suddenly his hands are on my waist, stopping me from walking into the room. I turn to look at him, and his eyes are wide, and he lets out a nervous chuckle.

"Um. Can you take off your shoes… I don't want the carpet getting dirty." he says, and I look down and see his plush white carpet.

"Uh. Yea. Sure." I say, and then kick off my shoes, and kicking them against the wall. I look up smiling, and see that he has a pained look on his face.

"Just let me fix this" he says, bending down, and lining up my shoes neatly against the wall.

O. K….

"Come. Lets eat.." he says, and I smile as he leads me to the table. He pulls out a chair for me and I take my seat. I can smell the garlic and lasagna and my stomach lets out a loud, embarrassing growl, and I look up to Eric who's eyes are on me.

"Hungry?" he asks as he stands in front of his seat. I nod my head, and he lifts the cover to one of the dishes, and I see the most beautiful lasagna I've ever seen. The cheese is perfectly melted, and a little bit browned, and I can see bits of Italian sausage poking out from the dish. Eric cuts a piece, and then places it on my plate, adding a piece of garlic bread. He does the same for himself, and then gets up from the table, grabbing two champagne glasses from his kitchen, and a bottle of champagne from the freezer. He pours our glasses and then takes his seat, raising his glass as I do mine.

"To us…" he says, and I smile and clink my glass against his. We each take a sip and I try and keep my face straight as I swallow it down. I hate champagne… it tastes like ass, but he's trying to be romantic so I'll just go with it.

I place my glass down on the table cloth, and I'm about to dig into my food, when I hear him frantically start to clear his throat. I look up, and see his face turning red, and he shoots out of his chair, and walks over to me.

"Please… use a coaster…. I don't want any stains on the tablecloth…." he says, and then grabs the coaster on the table, slides it in front of me and places my champagne flute on it.

Is this guy for real?

* * *

**So sorry to end it there. This isn't the only thing wrong with him...**

**See you on Wednesday...**

**Reviews=Previews :)**

**-Ana**


	8. Chapter 8: Disappointments

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 8: Disappointments

"_Please… use a coaster…. I don't want any stains on the tablecloth…." he says, and then grabs the coaster on the table, slides it in front of me and places my champagne flute on it._

_Is this guy for real?_

He gives me a small smile, and then walks back to his chair, takes his seat and starts to eat. I can't stop staring at him and not because he's gorgeous… even though he is.

He made me put a coaster… under a champagne flute… and before that, he made me take my shoes off and then he had to put them against the wall….

I take a moment to look around at the inside of his condo. I can see his kitchen from where I'm seated, and there isn't a speck of dirtiness anywhere. Everything is in it's place, and even his appliances look like they are sparkling clean. The carpet in the dining room looks white in the candlelight and there isn't a spot in sight.

This guy takes care of his house…. It's comforting. He can obviously pick up after himself and prides himself in keeping a clean home; it's a good thing.

Then why the fuck am I freaking out right now.

"How is the food?" he asks, looking over at me. I nod my head, and smile.

"It's delicious. You're a fantastic cook!" I say, and then dig my fork into the lasagna and take another bite, and then grab a piece of the garlic bread and take a bite. I raise my head to look at him once again, and his face is turning that deep red shade once again and I look around to see what's wrong now.

"Bella… here.." he says, and then stands up and grabs a little broom looking thing that can fit in his hand. He walks over to my side of the table and starts to sweep up the crumbs from the table, onto his hand. I watch as Eric walks into the kitchen and dumps the crumbs into the sink. He starts the water then, letting the crumbs go down the drain and then he shuts off the water. I exhale a breath I wasn't even aware I was holding, and wait for him to join me at the table once again, but he doesn't. He walks into the pantry and pulls out some all purpose cleaner, and get to work on cleaning the sink, while I sit there, in shock….

This guy is a clean freak…. And not in a good way.

I decide to eat up my food, desperate to get the fuck out of here. I shove forkfuls of the lasagna into my mouth, and then grab the garlic bread and soak up all the sauce on my plate. Once my plate is clean, I grab my champagne, and chug it down, quickly putting it back on the coaster… wouldn't want him to pop a blood vessel or something like that.

I'm just about to get up from my chair, when I see him stop scrubbing. He smiles over at me, and winks and gets to rinsing the sink. His smile is so beautiful that I forget what the fuck I was about to do, and I don't remember until he's put the cleaner back in the pantry, and he's walking towards me.

"I see you liked the food." he says, looking down at my empty plate. I nod my head, and smile and then push back in my chair and stand up.

"Yes. It was delicious. Wow. Look at the time.. I better get going" I start to walk towards the door to collect my shoes, but he stops me with his hand on my arm. He grips onto me and pulls me back towards him, sending me crashing into his arms. He smiles and leans down to me, softly pressing his lips to mine. My body goes limp from the feel of him against me, and I angle my head, desperate to deepen the kiss so I can taste him. His mouth opens, and his tongue finds it's way into my mouth, caressing mine before pulling away.

"You don't have to go…. " he says, looking down at me and at the moment, I'm hypnotized by his eyes. I find myself nodding my head, and the next thing I know, I'm getting pulled into the hallway and into a room at the end. He flicks on the light, and then turns on the dimmer, leaving just a soft glow of light.

His room is painted in a soft blue. The large cherry wood furniture is up against the two walls closest to the door, and right across from where I'm standing in the doorway, against a large window, is his bed. The bed is huge, and the large posts reach almost to the high ceiling. The bed is covered in a royal blue silk comforter, with pillows in black and royal blue neatly placed at the head of the bed. There's a door on each wall, and I assume one is the bathroom, and the other is the closet.

Eric grabs my face, and leans down, capturing my lips once more. I moan against his mouth when he slips his tongue into my mouth which causes him to let out a groan, and his hands slide from my face, down my back until finally he cups my ass. My hands slide into his hair, as he lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he walks us into the bedroom.

He tosses me onto the bed, but his lips don't leave mine. His kisses have me hungry for him, and before I even know what the fuck I'm doing, my hands are at the front of his pants, un tucking his shirt, and then working on the belt. he swipes his tongue across my lips as I get the belt undone, and I look up at him as I pop the button and lower the zipper.

My breathing is ragged, and all I want to do is get him good and ready, and then lay back and let him take me….

I reach into his pants, anxious to grab his hard cock and start teasing him to make it that much hotter, but after a couple of seconds of feeling around, I don't find it. I look up at him questioningly, but his face is void of any emotion. I decide to just pull his pants and boxers down, and after I tug both down his legs, I grip onto to back of his thigh and bring my face close to him, ready to take him into my mouth.

But again…. There is nothing.

"Can you turn on a light?" I say, and he nods and reaches over to the bedside lamp and clicks it on.

What I see in front of me makes me want to burst into tears and throw myself down laughing all at the same time.

Eric's cock… wait, that's not the right word for it… Eric's 'little friend' is just that… little.

Right in front of me, staring me in the face is the tiniest dick I've ever seen. It's pink, and it's uncircumcised and it looks like a damn Vienna sausage.

Eric leans down, and starts to kiss my neck as he grabs my hand and start to move it towards his …. I don't even know what to call it.

"Um. I have to go to the bathroom." I say, and he smiles and kisses my forehead and shows me to the bathroom.

"I'll be waiting.." he says, and leans down to kiss my lips once again, nipping at my bottom lip with his teeth.

"Ok" I say, and shut the door behind me, and immediately plop down on the toilet and start to laugh into my hands.

What just happened, should be illegal. A fine piece of man-meat like that should NOT have a tiny peen…. It's just not fair. Not only does he have that against him, but he's also a clean freak which I couldn't have dealt with had that been the only thing….

Damn it…. What am I supposed to do now? I can't have sex with him… that wouldn't work…

I look around the bathroom, and then stand up and walk over to his medicine cabinet, pull it open and start to look through his shit. I don't know what I'm looking for.. Maybe some laxatives…. I don't know.

The medicines in his cabinet are all placed neatly next to each other… in alphabetical order… but there is nothing that I can take in there that will help me out of this situation. I shut the cabinet, and then go to sit on the edge of his large Jacuzzi tub. I frown at it, upset that I would be able to have amazing sex in it because it's owner has a baby dick.

I look around again, hoping something will pop out and save me and that's when I see the window above the Jacuzzi tub. I jump up, and stand on the edge of the tub, and open the window. It opens to a large bush right outside, and the parking lot is a couple or yards away.

Am I really going to do this?

"I'm ready! Come and get me, baby" I hear Eric say and I jump up into the window, and pull myself out. I fall head first into the bush, but quickly recover and get up and brush myself off as best I can. I start to run to my car, glad I kept my clothes on and my keys and cell phone are still in my pockets, and I quickly unlock and jump inside of my car.

I start the car, and quickly throw the stick into reverse. My tires squeal against the pavement as I throw the car into drive and press the gas pedal down all the way. As I speed the whole five blocks to my house, I don't even think about the fact that I just left Eric, probably naked in his bedroom. I think about the fact that I just left my damn shoes there.

Fuck. I really liked those shoes.

I pull into the parking lot at my apartment, and run out of the car, hating that I'm running through a dirty parking lot barefoot, but anything would be better than letting Mr. inch-dick on top of me. I'm a pretty good liar.. But I'm a fucking horrible actress…. I don't think Julia Roberts could act like she liked that.

I shove my key in the lock and turn the knob, run in and slam the door, throwing myself against the closed door and taking a deep breath. I close my eyes as I think about the bullet I just dodged…

"Bella? Are you Ok?"

"What the fuck happened to your head?" I hear Alice and Rose ask. I open my eyes and see them sitting on the couch. I shake my head, and walk into the kitchen, needing a stiff one all of a sudden…

The girls get up from their spots on the couch and walk over to me, where I have just taken out one of our glass cups. I take out the bottle of rum from our cabinet, and pour four fingers of the amber colored liquid into the glass. I bring the end of the glass up to my lips and chug the whole thing, loving the feel of the liquid burning in my throat.

"Why do you have leaves all over your hair?" Alice asks, as she reaches her hand up and starts to pick put pieces of greenery from my hair.

"You do not even want to know what I've been through tonight" I say, grabbing the bottle of rum once again and filling my glass.

"Of course we do…. What happened this time?" Rose asks, picking out the last bits of crap from my hair. I chug the second glass, and crash it down on the counter.

"Well… let me see. Eric.. Dr. Sex on a stick is a neat freak… and I mean 'FREAK'. He put my champagne flute on a coaster… he did other things, but I'm too exhausted to tell you guys… Anyways, cutting to the chase, things start to get a little hot, so we move into his bedroom, and I'm about to slob on his knob, but I can't find it.."

"What do you mean you couldn't find it? Was he a chick or something?" Rose asks, and I shake my head and hold up my pinky finger.

"WHAT?" they both yell at the same time, before bursting out laughing.

"No Bella… It couldn't be THAT bad" Alice says, and I look over to her and narrow my eyes.

"I've had tampons in me bigger than he was…" at that, they start to laugh once again, and I huff and walk out of the room, flicking them the finger when they ask me where I'm going.

I tear off my clothes, and get into bed in just my underwear. As I stare up at the darkened ceiling, I begin to laugh. I laugh at the irony of having a gorgeous, successful man interested in me, only to find out that he was a neat freak, with a small penis…That should be illegal.

I might just have to send a letter to congress….

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIOI

I wake up the next morning in a pissy mood. I guess that because of my shitty date last night, I was unable to have my usual sex dream.. Well, my almost sex dream. I was really starting to look forward to those things, especially the way I didn't know who it was doing those things to me. The man in my dreams' face always seemed to be in a shadow or something, but the parts I could see of him, were amazing. Long strong arms, broad, defined chest. Perfect 'V' cutting below his abs, like an arrow pointing to where I needed to be….

I look over at the clock, and see I have a little over an hour before I have to get to work. I slide out of bed, and walk into the bathroom, stripping my underwear off as I go, and turning on the shower. I brush my teeth while I wait for the water to warm, and then step under the hot jets.

Ten minutes later, I step out of the shower, wrapping myself in a warm towel, and drying myself off as I step into the closet. I'm feeling like a need a little cheering up today, so I grab one of my funny shirts today, instead of one of my vulgar ones. The one I choose to wear today is blue, and has a picture of a cartoon 'Pluto' on it, and says 'It's Okay Pluto, I'm not a planet either' because… that sucked. I grab some grey yoga pants, and finish my ensemble with a pair of tan uggs… well, ugg wannabes actually, but who can really tell.

I walk out of my room, and into the kitchen, grabbing my mug and filling it with coffee one of the girls made before they left for work. Next to the coffee maker is a note, and just at a glance, I can tell it's Alice who wrote it.

_We're doing some wedding planning tonight, so be home early. _

_Love ya, _

_Alice_

I groan out loud at the realization that I will be stuck in the living room, with my face in a bunch of bridal magazines tonight. As if I haven't suffered enough these past couple of days.

I drink up my coffee, and then bring the mug to the sink, turn on the water and rinse it out. After placing it in the sink, I grab my keys from the counter, and walk out the door, locking it behind me. I walk out to the parking lot, looking down as I get my car key separated and hold it in my hand. I look up as I reach my car, and stop dead in my track when I see none other than Dr. Small Peen. He's leaning up against my car, wearing his white 'doctor coat', (I don't know what the fuck those things are called) and he's twirling his keys on his finger.

Shit.

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving last night?" he asks.

"Umm." I say, trying my best to avoid his eyes. "There was an emergency…. I forgot to…. Ugh… " I start, trying to figure out something to say, but my mind is blank. I shake my head and look up at him, not wanting to lie about this.

"Listen, Eric. You're a great guy and any woman would be lucky to have you. I just don't think that woman will be me." I say. He nods his head, and walks over to me.

"You still have my number. Call me if you ever change your mind, Principessa." he says as he kisses the top of my head and then walks away. I hop into my car, not really wanting to tell him that I deleted his number, but I guess if I'm ever in the mood to go into his clean, disinfected home and have pleasure-less sex with him, I can always look him up.

I drive off to work, and park my car and run up to the building when I get there. I walk in, and immediately see Tony dusting off the items near the front door.

Ugh, Tony. I need to tell you what happened to me." I tell him as I walk to the door to the back room. As I'm about to grab the door handle, the door opens and I come face to chest with Edward. I look up at him, and a crooked smile shoes on his face.

"Good morning, Bella. On time once again? I think I might have to play the lottery…" he says, and I laugh and shake my head, push past him and walk into the back room. After my things are safely put away back there, I walk out behind the counter and start to tell Tony about my date from hell last night.

"…it was like my pinky, Tony. That was like the biggest upset of the century." I say, and he laughs.

"Bella. Hasn't anyone ever told you that it's not the size that matters…? it's how you work it." he says, with a smirk on his face, and I shake my head.

"Whoever came up with that saying, had a small penis."

* * *

**A little short, but I hope you guys liked it. I'll be sure to make the next one a little longer. **

**Thanks you guys so much for reading, and remember to review so you can get your preview of the next chapter. **

**until next time :) Ana**


	9. Chapter 9: Dreams and Interviews

**Early update, and it's almost 6,000 words? Yup. If you didn't love me already, you better now! :P See you at the bottom.**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 9: Dreams and Interviews

It's been a week since 'the incident' and things are going great…

Well, not really, but we can pretend they are.

Even though Eric said that I could call him if I ever changed my mind about us, or something to that degree, he spent the days following 'the incident' calling, and leaving gifts on my door step. It got so bad, I actually had to change my number, and a couple of days ago, as I was up to my neck in daisies, roses, and tulips, I found myself almost ready to give in.

Thankfully, my girls were there to make sure I kept strong. Alice would hold up a baby carrot, and Rose point to it and shake her finger at me.

Sadly, the baby carrot had about an inch more than Eric did.

Work had been pleasant, I guess. Edward and I were avoiding each other, only saying Hello and Goodbye and then acting as if the other person was invisible or something. I don't know what his reasons were for ignoring me were, but I definitely had a reason.

A couple of days after everything happened with Eric, I went home, locked my door and turned off my cell phone. I wanted to have my usual dream, and I didn't want it interrupted. So as I settled in for the night, I had one goal… Find out who my dream man was.

And boy did I.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

_I could feel his lips leaving warm kisses on my neck, every so often he would dart his tongue out and taste my skin, sending shocks of heat straight to my girly bits. _

"_Fuck, that feels so good. Don't stop." I whisper into his hair. I bring my hands up, and bury them into his soft hair, tugging softly and trying to keep him there. His moan against my skin vibrated against my skin and another shock of pleasure shot right down to the spot below my belly button. He shifts his body and rests it between my legs, and as his lips move lower, his hips jut out and his erection presses right up against my wet center._

"_Shit. I can feel how ready you are." he says, and I nod my head, tugging his hair so he can lift his head up to mine. I want to tell him I need him now. He places one last kiss in between my breasts and slowly raises his face to mine. _

_His green eyes glow in the candlelight, and the smirk on his face causes me to bite my lip to hold back a moan as yet another wave of pleasure hits me. Our lips meet, soft and gentle at first, but as time goes by, our kisses become frantic and needy…_

"_Now.. Please" I pant against his lips. He nods and pulls back a bit, tugging his underwear down to his knees, and pulling mine to the side. His lips are back on mine as he pushes into me. We groan into each other's mouth as he fills me, and I bring my hands to his ass, gripping the flesh hard in my hands as he thrusts inside of me. I throw my head back, rolling my eyes in pleasure as he picks up the pace. _

"_Shit, Bella… I'm going to…" he starts, and then his head falls forward, resting against my chest as I feel my muscles begin to tighten…_

"_Fuck," I yell as I feel myself unraveling. "Yes… Edward, yes." I scream as I begin to shake, trembling from the force of my orgasm. My eyes open and I look up to see him grinning over me. He leans down, and presses his lips against mine softly._

I shoot up in bed, sweaty, panting and confused.

I just had a sex dream.

About Edward.

Dick head, Edward….

.fuck.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The days following my revelation that my dream was in fact about Edward, were awkward to say the least. I would avoid looking at Edward in the eye, afraid he would be able to tell I was having dreams about him. Tony noticed how on edge I was, and asked me what was going on.

He laughed when I told him.

"Oh shit.. Edward? Edward Cullen? So, are you going to tell him your hot for his body?" he asked, standing straight up and bringing his hands up to his chest, making a weird nipple tweaking motion with his fingers.

"Fuck you, Tony." I said, smacking him in the center of his chest. He bent over, laughing and sputtering as he rubbed his had over the spot I just hit him at.

We're both laughing at the point, and that's when Edward chooses to peek out of the back room.

"Bella?" he says, and my head snaps up to his. "Just wanted to remind you to be here at 9 am tomorrow so we can interview the applicants for the job." I nod my head, and he half-smiles and shuts the door, leaving me with a still- chuckling Tony.

"You guys are going to be alone tomorrow. Should I leave some condoms out for you to use, or are you going to let him raw dog you like he does in your dreams?" I drop my head into my hands, mortified that I told Tony about this. He's never going to let me live this down…

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

After my shift, I drive home, glad the day is over and I can crawl into bed and fall asleep.

Um, not because of the dreams of Edward, which I have EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Really…

Shit, who am I kidding? The moment I wake up, I can't wait to go back to bed to have those dreams again. The Edward in my dreams is perfect. He's always naked, always pleasuring me and he barely talks…

The one in real-life, however, is a pain in my ass.

I walk through the door to my apartment, and look over to the living room to see Rose watching TV on the couch.

"Hey" I say, and she smiles.

"Hey. How was your day?" she asks, sitting up and tucking her legs under her.

"Um. Ok. What about yours?"

"Good. We have another dress fitting tomorrow… are you going to be able to make it?" she asks.

"Um. Well, I'm interviewing tomorrow at 9, and I don't know how long that'll be, but I'm off at 6."

"Great, the fitting is at 7."

"I'll be there then." I say, opening up the fridge and taking out the carton of orange juice.

"So, is the manager still riding you?" she asks, and I choke on my juice. I tap my chest as I cough and try to get my breathing back to normal. I look over to Rose who has one eyebrow tilted up and is watching me like I was crazy. "You Ok, Bells?"

"Um. Yea. Not so much, anymore."

"That's good." she says with a knowing smirk on her face.

"Hey, where's Alice?" I ask, trying to change the subject. She looks at me like she knows exactly what I'm doing, but chooses to ignore it.

"She's with Jasper. They're looking at locations for their wedding…" Alice decided to get married in 6 months, in November. I love the idea of her having a winter wedding, but I hope it's indoors… and the dress isn't too short.

I finish my glass of juice, and rinse the cup out before joining Rose on the couch. After her wedding, she'll be moving out of the apartment, and moving in with Emmett. I'm happy that she's moving on and getting married, but I know I'm going to miss her terribly. Rose and Alice and I have never gone more than a couple of days without seeing each other, and we've lived together for almost 7 years. It's going to be difficult being the only one left in the apartment after they both move out.

After we finish watching a movie, I get up and make my way to my room. I have to wake up early tomorrow, and I want to be rested up….

And I really want to dream about him again….

I settle into my bed, and shut my eyes, anxious to fall asleep and dream.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIOIOIOIOI

I wake up the next morning, sweat free and unsatisfied.

I didn't have the dream last night and I'm pissed. I sit up in bed, throwing my blankets off of me, and jumping out of bed. I stomp all the way to the bathroom, peeling off my clothes and turning the shower on. I wait until the room is full of steam before jumping in and letting the hot water pour over me.

30 minutes later, after I've dressed, had some coffee, and gotten into my car, I pull up outside of the shop. I get out, grabbing my keys and locking my car door and I notice the lights are off inside. I look around the parking lot and don't see Edward's car anywhere.

Oh, so it's ok for him to be late, but not for me to? Fucking Jerk.

I put my key in the door and push it open, reach over to the wall and flick the lights on. The shop is just how we left it last night. Everything is clean, so I don't have to worry about tidying up before the applicants come, which is a bummer because the only thing I have to do now is sit around and think, which isn't something I want to do right now.

I walk into the back room, flicking on the light and tossing my bag and keys onto the desk. The top is cluttered with papers and things and I'm about to turn away when I see Edward's name on the top of a bill for Macy's.

A credit card bill for $7,000.

The front door of the store opening has me tossing the paper down and walking out of the back room. Edward looks over to me and I give him a small smile which he returns.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late. Have you been here long?" he asks, and I shake my head.

"No. I actually just got here like a minute before you did. I was just putting my things away." he gives me a nod and then walks past me to put his things in the room.

"Our first applicant will be here soon. You want to help me get some chairs out here?" he asks and I nod my head and follow him into the backroom. He hands me a chair and I walk out into the showroom with it, and place it towards the middle of the room. He comes out from the room then, holding two chairs and places them across from my one chair.

"Ok. That's done. Now we just wait." he says, and then plops down into one of the chairs. I sit down next to him, and start to twiddle my thumbs as I look everywhere but at Edward. I know if he looks at me, I'll blush and he'll know about the dirty dreams I have about him. Not only that, but he'll probably know that I love those damn dreams. I lift my eyes a bit, taking in his arms, watching as the muscles flex underneath his pale skin. My eyes trail a little higher, and I take in the vast expanse of his chest. I can see the muscles poking through his semi-tight shirt and my tongue darts out to lick my bottom lip. I'm about to lose my inner battle, and look him in the eyes when the front door creaks open, and our first applicant walks in.

"Hi. You must be Tanya Denali?" Edward says, standing up and holding his hand out for the girl. She looks to be around my age, and she has strawberry blonde hair waving down her back. Her eyes are the strangest blue, and they remind me of Rose's ice blue eyes. She is taller than me, but that might have something to do with the sky high stripper heels she has on.

"Yes. How are you doing today." she asks, keeping a hold of Edward's hand a little linger than I would have liked.

"I'm doing well. I'm Edward, the manager here and this is Bella, the assistant manager. We'll both be conducting your interview today." he says, and she licks her lips and darkens her look at him before moving over to me. She grabs my hand in hers, shaking it loosely and quickly before letting it go and walking over to her chair in front of us.

"So Tanya, What type of jobs have you had before? Are you familiar with the type of work we do here?" he asks, and she smirks and lets out a little giggle. An annoying little giggle that makes me want to smack the taste out of her damn mouth.

"Um. Yes. I worked for 3 years for a clothing store in the mall. But my most recent job was in entertainment." I raise an eyebrow at that comment.

"Oh, really? What kind?" Edward asks, and she smiles largely.

"I was in adult films." my head snaps to Edward's and I see his face start to redden. He looks a little choked up right now, so I decide to take over the interview.

"Wow. What was your porn star name? maybe we have one of your films in here…" she looks over at me and her smile fades a bit.

"Lotta Cox."

I can't hold it back. I burst out laughing, grabbing at my chest when I run out of breath. This girl's name was 'Lotta Cox'… that's frickin hilarious. I look back up at her, and see her scowling over at me, but I keep the wide smile on my face.

"So why do you want to work here? Porn business not paying?" I ask, raising an eyebrow as I wait for her to answer my question. She huffs and turns to look at me and shakes her head.

"No. It's fine, I was just told it might be a good idea for me to work here, and 'network' myself a bit." she says, giving me the bitch brow. It's a sad thing to watch, especially since I am the queen of the bitch brow and she just looks like a damn fool with her attempt at one.

"Why don't you just get a myspace? You can network on there, and I bet you might even crack a thousand friends…" I say, trying my best to hold back my snicker. I hear her huff, and I look up just in time to see her roll her eyes and look over to Edward.

"I already have a myspace and for your information, I have about 30 thousand friends." she says, matter-of-factly and I smile.

"Your mom must be so proud. Anyways, I don't have anymore questions, do you Edward?" I ask, looking over to him. He gives me a small smile and shakes his head.

"No. I don't. Thank you for coming in today Tanya, we'll let you know." he says, standing up and holding his hand out for her to shake. She stands up, tugging her skirt that is riding up her legs, and grabs Edward's hand.

"Thank _you_" she says, winking at him and holding his hand for an unnecessary amount of time. I clear my throat, and hold my hand out for her, which she looks at as if it was covered in shit, and shakes it quickly. She turns around, and walks to the door, pushing it open and walking out. The click of her stripper heels can be heard through the walls as she makes her way down the steps and back to her car.

"Hmmm. She's awesome. We should hire her.." I say, and look over to Edward who laughs as he shakes his head. He grabs her application from the counter, and lifts it in his hands. He grabs it at the top with both hands, and slowly starts to rip the sheet in half before throwing it in the trash.

He walks back to his chair, and sits and I'm running through things to talk about with him in my head, when the door opens again. A man walks through the door, and he has to be my mother's age. His brown hair is slicked back and his furry eyebrows point in every direction above the rim of his silver glasses. He's wearing a 'Las Vegas' shirt, tucked into his brown dockers, complete with a brown belt with a massive belt buckle attached. He stands there in the doorway, every so often looking over at us, but otherwise his eyes are roaming around the room. I can hear tiny little snickers come from his mouth as he looks around the shop and I look over at Edward, raising an eyebrow, silently asking what the fuck is up with this guy but he shakes his head, and shrugs his shoulders before getting up and walking over to him.

"Hello. You must be Paul?" he says, and the man raises his head and slowly nods. "Um. Ok. Have a seat, and we'll get on with the interview" he tells him and he walks back to his seat. The man slowly makes his way to the chair in front of us, and once he's seated, he keeps his head down, as if he was looking at the Velcro straps on his shoes.

Edward clears his throat, and the man's head comes up to face his. "This is the assistant manager, Bella. She'll be conducting the interview as well." he says. The man looks over at me and I smile, but he quickly darts his face away from mine.

"Ok. So, Paul, What job experience do you have?" he asks, and Paul reaches one hand up and starts to pick at his face.

"Um. I got my first job when I was 16. I bagged groceries at the supermarket. My most recent job was at the comic book coliseum downtown, I worked there about 3 years."

"It says here you were fired from that job. Would you care to tell me what happened to make them fire you?" I ask him. He shakes his head and whispers 'pass'.

What is this guys' deal?

"Um. Ok. How about you tell us a bit about yourself then." Edward says.

"I'm 45. I'm a Pisces. I've lived in the same house with my mother since I was 4 years old. I have 5 cats, and 3 goldfish. My favorite food is chicken quesadillas and my favorite drink is mountain dew code red." I look over at Edward, and I see he has the same look of confusion on his face. He turns his head towards me and widens his eyes before looking back at Paul.

"Um. Ok. Well, what do you do for fun?" he asks

"I make model airplanes. I sew outfits for my cats. But what I most love to do is play World of Warcraft. I go to the conventions and even do live action playing as my character, Legithraril. He's a gnome."

This is a total WTF moment….

"Sounds like fun," I say, "So, you'd be ok working in a shop like this one?" I ask, and he turns bright red.

"I get kind of nervous around things like this, but I figure it would be a great chance to meet women." I wonder why this guy has trouble meeting women?

"Well. That's all the time we have for today. We'll let you know in a couple of days whether or not you got the job." I say, standing up and holding my hand out. He stands up, grabs it and gives it a quick shake, before doing the same to Edward. We watch as Paul walks out of the shop and I walk over to the window and see him get into a Lincoln town car driven by an older woman… his mother.

"Well, that was awkward." I say, and Edward laughs and shakes his head, balling up poor Paul's application and chucking it clear across the room.

"I don't think I want to do this anymore…" he says, and I start to laugh and walk back over to him. The look on his face is one of pure horror and as I reach him, I place my hand on his shoulder.

"We just have one more. Hopefully, this one will be different, if not, we'll just tell Larry we'll have to shut the shop down that weekend… no biggie." I say, and he looks up at me and nods. The sound of a car pulling up outside has me walking over to the window. I see a blue Honda parked right in front and a girl with long dark hair gets out of the driver's side. She closes the door, and starts to walk across the lot, and I see she has dark framed glasses. I run back over to the chair as she starts up the stairs and wait for her to come in.

The door swings open and in walks our next applicant.

"Hi. You must be Angela." I say, and she smiles, showing the brightest teeth I've ever seen. She nods her head, and walks over to shake mine and Edward's hand.

"I'm Bella, the assistant manager and this is the manager, Edward. We'll be conducting the interview today. Have a seat." I say, pointing to the chair across from us. She takes her seat, and I take a moment to look her over. She's dressed normally, grey v-neck t shirt and jeans, along with a pair of grey chuck's.

"So. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?"

"Sure. I'm Angela Webber. I'm 23 years old. I've lived in Seattle my whole life. I just graduated a year ago from UW and have my bachelors in Business. I had an internship at Rasen Interprises and I was there for 2 years, before they closed a couple of months back. I'm a good worker, and I learn quickly, but I'm not a push over. My main motto is 'Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes" and I abide by that everyday of my life. I have a dependable car, and I live on my own and I if you give me this job, I promise you won't regret it." she says. I look over to Edward and find him wearing a smile identical to mine. He gives me a slight nod, and then I turn my head back to Angela.

"You're hired. When can you start?" he asks her, and she smiles and brings her hand up to her chest.

"Really? Oh thank you so much! I can start yesterday!" she says

"Be here tomorrow at 10. Welcome, Angela." he says, and then stands up and holds his hand out for her to shake. I stand up also, and after she's done shaking his hand, she grabs mine and smiles.

"I'll be here. Thank you guys so much"

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow, Angela." I say and she turns and walks to the door, turning the knob and walking out. I watch from the window as she skips to her car, and when she reaches the door, she jumps and pumps her fists into the air before getting in.

I laugh and turn back to where Edward is standing, watching me.

"I think she's going to be great." I say, and he smiles and nods his head.

"Yea. She is. I'm glad that interviewing shit is over… after some of the people I've met today, I'm ready for a fucking Tylenol." I laugh and walk over to help him as he picks up one of the chairs and starts to take it to the back room. I grab the one I was sitting in, and walk it back to the room, handing it to him and walking back out to grab the last one.

"Thanks." he says as I hand him the last chair. He places it in the room, and then walks back out into the shop, shutting the door behind him. "It's almost time to open. Do you want to help me clean up a bit in here before we open?" he asks, and I nod my head, and walk over to the counter, grab one of the dusters, and make my way over to the video section. I start to dust off some of the movies, when I hear Edward clear his throat and I snap my head up to see him standing over me, smiling.

"I'm sorry for being such a dickhead lately. You didn't deserve the way I've been treating you, so I was thinking maybe, to make it up to you, we could maybe go grab a drink tonight. There's that new club that just opened up, maybe we can go over there?" he asks, and I'm still shocked. Is he asking me out on a date. Let me test this out.

"Oh, I was actually going to go over there with my friends tonight. So maybe we can meet up with you over there." I say, and he smiles even bigger, and nods.

"Sure. I'll bring some of my friends, and meet you there." he says, and I agree and tell him I'll meet him there at 10. I turn back to the shelves of movies and continue to dust. 5 minutes later, I'm laughing uncontrollably and calling Edward over from the other side of the store.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asks, and I can't speak, I'm laughing so hard. So I reach in front of me, and grab the DVD case that has me laughing so hard.

On the cover is a picture of Tanya, aka Lotta Cox in a very awkward position. I don't want to get too into it, but there is some ping pong balls, a rather large woman in a tennis outfit and ping pong paddles….

And I don't think anyone will ever want to play with those balls after they see where they've been.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Once I get out of work that day, I rush over to the store for my dress fitting. The whole drive there all I'm doing is thinking of how I can tell Rose that she's coming with me to meet Edward at Club 313. I know she'll agree, but I'm just not ready for the whole Q&A session that will go on once I tell her. I also don't even want to think about how she's going to act when she sees what I plan to wear tonight….

I pull up outside 'Rita's Bridal Shop' and practically run out of the car. I pull the door open and I'm almost blinded by the bright lights bouncing off the colorful dresses in the store.

"There you are. Rita, Bella's here. Grab her dress, will you?" I blink, trying to adjust my eyes to the brightly let area, as Rose grabs my hand and pulls me towards the back of the store. When my vision finally comes back, I realize I'm standing by the dressing rooms, and in front of a large mirror.

"Here ya go, dear. Try this on, and we'll see if we need to make any adjustments." Rita says. I smile and grab the gown from her, and walk into the curtained area to change out of my work clothes and into the dress.

Rosalie, with the help of Alice, had picked out the most beautiful dresses for the bridesmaids. The royal blue strapless gown flowed down my body, the hem barely touching the ground. The satin fabric felt heavenly against my skin, and the ruched bodice showed off my curves in the best way. I walked out into the show space, smiling. Rose took one look at me and beamed as I made my way to the pedestal so Rita could adjust the dress.

"I brought the jewelry so we could see what it looked like with the dress." Rose says, as she digs into her purse. She comes out with a large, rectangular box and walks over to me. She opens the box, and I see the jewelry she's picked out for me for the first time. The pearl necklace is beautiful, accented with crystals and oval shaped, along with matching earrings. Our eyes meet in the mirror as she stands behind me to place the necklace around my neck. I hear the clasp snap into position and she steps back and hands me the earrings, which I quickly put in my ears. Rita steps away from me, after placing a pin or two at the side of my dress and I look at myself.

I start to get misty eyes when I take in my appearance in the mirror, and as I look behind me at Rose, I see that she has tears running down her face.

"Are those good tears or bad tears?" I ask her, smiling slightly. She sniffles and shakes her head.

"You look beautiful, Bella." she says, and my smile grows. I remember when I was 16, my cousin Stephanie got married and made me one of her bridesmaids. She picked out the ugliest dresses, and the ugliest jewelry and had out hair done in a corny French braid. At the time, she had acted like it was what she wanted, but a couple of months later, she admitted she didn't want the bridesmaids looking better than her. As mean as it is, my cousin Stephanie is a dog, and I could be wearing a trash bag and paperclip jewelry, and I'd still look better than her. Rose wasn't like that. I know that whatever I was put in, Rose would still be shining because that's just the type of person she is inside as well as out. My best friend.

After I change out of my dress, it's Rose's turn to try on hers. I have to say, I haven't seen her in her dress. I've seen pictures, but since I'm always working, I never had the chance to actually see her in her dress, so I take a seat as I wait for her to get into it and I try and think of a way to bring up the topic of tonight with her.

I lose my train of thought as soon as Rose steps out of the curtained room. Rose will never have to worry about being upstaged at her wedding with the way she looks right now. The top of her gown is a silk, crystal infused bodice with silk straps tying it at the back. At her hips, the corset ends and the silk a-line skirt flows down her body. She is truly one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen.

"Rose. You look amazing." I say, and she smiles.

"Thank you. Can you hand me my bag, Rita?" Rose asks her, and the little woman smiles, and walks over to the chair to grab Rose's bag. She picks it up and walks back over to where she's standing, holding it out for her to grab what she needs in it. She grabs a silk pouch, and opens the top, pulling out a white lily attached to a hair pin. Rose tucks the pin into her mouth and loosens her hair from it's ponytail, and pulls her hair to the side, making a messy bun that sits right at the nape of her neck and to the side. She grabs the flower pin out of her mouth, and tucks it behind her ear on the opposite side.

As I look at Rose, I can't help but think about how she practically glows.

"Gorgeous. What jewelry are you wearing?" I ask her and she huffs.

"I'm still waiting on it to be delivered, but I ordered some diamond studs and I'm going to wear diamond cuff bracelet." I smile at her, as Rita checks to make sure everything is right with Rose's dress.

"Now don't go gaining any weight in the next 3 weeks. This dress fits you perfectly right now…." Rita says, and Rose laughs.

"I'll try my best." she says, as she steps down from the pedestal.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

After we've got the dresses, and we're walking out to our cars, I take the time to let Rose know about tonight.

"Rose. Um, you want to come to Club 313 with me tonight?" I ask her.

"Hells yea. I've been dying to go. What's the occasion?" she asks as we reach where our cars are parked. I turn towards her, but look down at my hands as I play with the keys in my hands.

"Um. Edward asked me to go…" I whisper, hoping she didn't hear me, but seconds later, her hand is on my arm, gripping at my shoulder hard, causing me to hiss out loud.

"Shit. Sorry, but what? Edward… your boss? He asked you out, like a date? Why the hell would you want me to go?" she says

"I didn't know if it was a date or not, so I told him that we were going tonight anyways, and told him we'd meet him there…."

She looks at me for a moment, with one eyebrow raised, and I bite my lip, unsure of what she's going to say. She might not want to come with me, and then I'll be stuck with him… as much as I'd like that, I think it might be a little awkward, especially after saying that I was coming with my friends.

"Well. What are we standing around for? We need to get you ready for operation: fuck your boss." she says, and then walks to her drivers side door.

"Rose. What makes you think I want to fuck him?" I ask, truly puzzled as to where she got that from. Rose tosses her bag into the car, and leans her arms on the roof of her car.

"The walls in the apartment are thin, honey. I hear you screaming his name in your dreams, and they're not 'scared' screams, or 'mad' screams, if you know what I mean." she says. She winks at me, and gets into her car as the heat rises on my face. She can hear me? I talk in my sleep? Holy shit, I yell his name in my sleep?

"C'mon bitch, you're wasting time…" she says, and speeds off.

Shit. This is going to be an interesting night.

* * *

**Next Chapter is EPOV, and it gets real good :) Reviews=Previews **

**I wish I could say the next chapter would post early but I can't be sure of that. I'm house hunting, so I'm not home much these days, but I promise when I am home, I write. So, wish me some luck that my offer is accepted, so I can get back to cranking out chappys for you guys. haha. **

**Thanks for reading and if you review, thanks for reviewing. Thanks for story alerting, for fav. story-ing... Thanks for whatever you do that has my phone playing "Hearing Damage" everytime I get an email.. even if it's at 2 am and my husband yells at me to turn my damn phone off... **

-Ana


	10. Chapter10:CherryHookers and DirtyDancing

**Early... since I'm going to be out all day looking for houses... again. Sheesh.**

**Really quick though, I've never put one of those thingys on here so let me do that now...**

**I don't own 'Twilight', Just this story. If I did own Twilight, I'd have an Olympic sized swimming pool filled with $100 bills, and I'd do damn canon balls all day... I really would...**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 10: Cherry Hookers and Dirty Dancing

EPOV

Did I just invite Bella on a date? Did she just say yes? I mean, there will be other people there so it won't necessarily be considered a date, but I might have a chance to talk to her, right?

I hope so.

I've been trying to find a way to talk to Bella for days now. I hate being so cold with her, but I just couldn't help it. Lauren was still bothering me. She gave me a couple of days with no contact, then all of a sudden, she was trying to push herself back into my life full force.

I came home a couple of days ago from work, it was pouring rain outside, and as I pulled up outside of my house, I saw Lauren's Mazda parked outside. I groaned out loud, in the small confines of my car, and gripped at my steering wheel, pissed that she would even think it'd be ok for her to come here. I press the button on my garage door opener, and I drive up past her car and into the garage, pushing the button once more as soon as my car is all the way in. I shut off my car, and grab my keys, ready to walk into my house and ignore Lauren all night. She can stay in her car for all I care.

I shut the door of my car, and start to walk to the door leading into my house when I hear the clearing of a throat. I turn around quickly and in the dark corner near the back of my car, I spot Lauren, standing there drenched, looking like a wet rat.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Lauren?" I ask, as I cross my arms over my chest.

"I want to talk to you. Please, Edward." she says, and as much as I'd like to toss her over my shoulder and throw her back out into the rain, I decide not to. I flick on the light in the garage and stare her down.

"Go ahead. Speak." I say. I have no intention of letting her into my house. She can say what she needs to say right here, in the garage.

"I miss you." she says, and I huff and raise my hand to my hair, pulling at the roots in my frustration.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Lauren. Nothing you say will make me take you back. You ruined my life. I was without a job, and instead of you going out, and helping me like I did for you, you went out and spent money I didn't have, on yourself. I'm getting bills, Lauren. I got one for seven grand the other day, and then just yesterday I got one for 4.

"I busted my ass, going out there everyday, looking for a job so that we could be ok, and you waste all of my money, and put me into serious debt. I will never forgive you for that, and I don't even want to look at you for what you did.

"So, what you can do right now, is turn around and get the fuck out of my garage." I tell her. I turn around, and walk into my kitchen, flicking off the garage light, and closing and locking the door behind me.

I went up and took a shower after that, and by the time I got out and looked out the window, Lauren's car was gone.

But she didn't stop harassing me.

She called nonstop, left notes on my door. Things like 'I will never let you go' and 'you are mine forever' were written and left on my door and all I could do is laugh. I would have to tell the people at the gate not to let her in anymore.

Ever since that day, all I've been getting is calls, which are easy to ignore and she hasn't been able to get in since telling the guards at the gate of my subdivision that she was not allowed in anymore. My nights were easier and I was actually able to sleep without worrying that I'd wake up to see her standing over me, watching me sleep. I'd shut my phone off for the night and settle into my warm bed and sleep and when I slept, I dreamt.

My dreams were the best part of my day.

At first, I thought they were just dreams about some random girl I saw on the TV, or maybe a model I had been lusting after, but one night, I was actually able to get a glimpse of just who it was I was dreaming of, and it was all it took to make my days at work awkward.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

_I pace around the shop, every so often looking up at the clock on the wall. One hour. Bella is one hour late, and it's unacceptable. I pick up my phone and try and call her once again for probably the tenth time in the past thirty minutes, but again it goes to voicemail. _

'_Leave a message…' Beep_

"_Bella. You are an hour late, and you better have a good reason for it." I say into the phone and snap it away, pressing end and shoving the damn thing into my pocket. She makes me furious. She's always doing this, always showing up late, but never this late. I decide to find something to keep me busy, something to take my mind off the yelling that's going to occur when she walks through that door. I walk behind the counter, and pull out the money from the cash register, making sure nothing is missing. _

"_Twenty; forty; sixty; eighty…" I say out loud, as I count the money in the register. I make it all the way to 167 by the time the door opens and Bella walks through that door. I look up and see her with an evil smirk on her face and my blood immediately starts to boil._

"_You better have a damn good reason for being late, Isabella." I say, slamming the money back into the cash register and watching her as she moves closer to me. She's wearing a tight grey tank top with spaghetti straps and the smallest, ripped up jean shorts I've ever seen. She walks right past me and into the back room, throwing her things back there and I take in her form. I can see the swell of her ass cheeks peeking under the bottom of the shorts, and it's taking everything I have in me to keep from lunging forward and gripping onto to them. _

_She turns around then, eyes narrowed at me with the same smirk still on her face. She knows I was looking at her, I can see it in her face and what's sexy about it is that she looks like she liked it._

"_I'm sorry for being late, Mr. Cullen. I'll have to find some way to make it up to you." she says, biting her lip as she walks closer to me. She tucks her thumbs into the waist of her shorts, making them dip deliciously , exposing about an inch of new skin. A half inch which I have been fantasizing about tasting for a while._

"_How do you plan on doing that, Isabella?" I ask, leaning back against the edge of the counter. Her smile turns mischievous, and I gulp down the pool of saliva that's accumulated in my mouth as she crosses her arms in front of her and grabs the hem of her tank top. In one swift motion, the tank top is off, and she's left topless. I take in her perfect breasts, and before I can realize what the hell I'm doing, my hands are on them, tweaking her pebbled pink nipples before leaning down and sucking them into my mouth. She groans above me, digging her fingers into my hair and pulling me closer to her. After a couple of minutes of hearing her moan as I nibble on her, I wrap my arms around her, settling my hands on her ass, and I lift her and turn her around, sitting her on the counter as I resume my worship of her._

_She lays back on the counter, and my lips roam downwards until I come to the waist of her shorts. I look up at her from in between her legs, silently asking if I can remove her shorts and continue on with what I've been wanting to do since I met her. She looks down at me, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth and chewing on it before nodding her head. Her eyes stay on mine as I bring my fingers up and pop the button on her shorts. I slide the zipper down, and grab the waist and slowly tug them down her body. _

_My mouth waters, and my pants suddenly gets even tighter in the front as I take in the view before me. Talking off Bella's shorts had left her completely naked, and as I look up, I come face to face with her glistening center. _

_I lost it there. I couldn't hold it back any longer. I needed to be inside her, I needed to be buried deep inside her. I wanted to make her scream my name and feel her clench around me as I take her to her release. _

_I stand up, settling myself in between her legs. I bite my lip as I grab my erection and bring it up to her entrance and as I look up at her, she smiles and continues to nibble on her lower lip. I grab onto her hips, anxious to get inside of her. _

*Beep*Beep*Beep*

My alarm wakes me up from probably the best dream I've ever had and I grab onto it, ripping the cord from the wall and fling it across the room, smiling as I hear it smash into dozens of pieces as it hit's the wall.

I just had a dream about Bella…..

And I fucking want to go back to sleep and get back to it.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

That was the first time I actually knew it was Bella I was dreaming about, and even since then, she is all I've dreamt of. Every night it's different. Sometimes we're in the shop, sometimes we're in my house, sometimes we're in my car, and once we were in this meadow, surrounded by wildflowers as the sunlight covered us. All times are hot, and I wake up with a raging hard on that I have to take care of twice before I go into work, but, in the dreams, I never kiss her, and I never get inside of her. I wake up every time right before our lips are about to meet and right before I'm about to enter her. I've tried taking sleeping pills to keep myself asleep longer, I've tried going back to sleep after waking up suddenly, hoping maybe the dream would resume where it ended, but it never happens.

I actually had kept my alarm off, trying to not have anything disturb my dream, and I ended up being late to the interviews. I thought Bella would take that time to give me hell like I had given her for being late, but surprisingly, she didn't. I was embarrassed being in the same room with her, I though she might be able to sense I had been having sex dreams about her, and I thought she might be able to tell that I liked it, but I realized it was a crazy thought. I tried to act normal as we interviewed the people for the job.

Tanya was a freak. She was looking at me like she was a fat kid and I was a happy meal, and it made me feel dirty. My dick shriveled up and actually entered my body when she looked at me… poor little guy was frightened.

Well… not little… but… you know.

Paul was one of the most awkward people I've ever met. He reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite… you know, if he was middle aged and even more strange. When he first came in, he was looking around at all the merchandise and he was snickering. You know like when your 12, and your in the sex ed class, and every time the teacher says the word "Penis" or "Vagina", you would laugh? Yea, it was like that. I couldn't have him working here, selling things and laughing every time he rung something up, so he was a no go.

Then, like a ray of sunlight after a terrible storm, Angela came in. She came in, told us all about her and we were blown away. She had the same 'no nonsense' attitude that Bella had, and I knew they would be good together.

After the interviews were done, we put the chairs away and I just can't fight it anymore. She's on my mind all the time, and I've done nothing but treat her bad and act like a total ass to her, so I apologize.

I mean to only say I'm sorry, but I end up blurting out that we should go to club 313, even though I really had no intention of going there. She looks up at me, biting her lip before she tells me that her and her friends were heading over there anyway. I thought she was going to blow me off, maybe say 'yea, I'm going over there' and leave it at that, with me not knowing if that was an invite or whatever, but she tells me she'll meet me there, and I smile. And then I wonder if this is a date, or if her bringing her friends means that we're going on a group date, or whatever it's called.

After it's decided that we will meet we get back to work, and that's when Bella finds the DVD of 'Lotta Cox'. The image on the front of that damn movie will forever be ingrained in my thoughts, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be scarred for the rest of my life. No one should have to be exposed to that image and I hope they burned those ping pong balls because after where they've been, there's no saving them.

We get to work after that, and even though for the past couple of weeks, I've been avoiding her as much as I can, I find myself smiling at her when our eyes meet, and I actually help her in the store instead of just hiding out in the bat cave while she does all the work. After a long day of smiles, and finding a reason to brush up against her or talk to her, it's time to close the shop. She tells me she'll see me there later on and I smile and walk to my car, watching her as she reaches hers and gets in.

I can't go to this place by myself, that would be awkward. I could see it right now, she shows up with her friends, and I come alone, and I end up being the 3rd wheel. I'll probably be drinking beers in the corner and talking to myself the whole night if I come alone, so that can't happen. Once she drives away, I grab my cell phone and press send when I get to the number of my friend, Garrett.

Garrett and I worked at the restaurant together. He was a server turned assistant manager who acted as if his shit didn't stink and although we didn't like each other at first, he quickly became one of my good friends.

"Hey Eddie!" he says into the phone after about 3 rings.

"Don't call me that shit. Listen, what are you doing tonight?" I ask him, cutting right to the chase.

"Um. Well, I just got these movies from Redbox, so I was going to watch them. Then maybe watch some porn as I cry and beat off using my tears as lubricant…. Why do you ask?" Garrett's really dramatic. He just broke up with his girlfriend of maybe 6 months, so he's going through his 'mourning' stage.

"Well. I told this girl I'd meet her at club 313, and she told me she would bring some friends… "

"What girl?" he asks, and I can sense the smile in his voice.

"Um. The assistant manager at my job…"

"The girl you've been talking about ? What was her name? Becca?"

"Bella!" I say, probably more forcefully than I meant to.

"Easy there… Of course I'll go. I need to catch a glimpse of this hottie. Let's take your car! I'll be there at 9." he says, and then hangs up the phone. I chuckle to myself as I shove my phone in my pocket and start off towards my house.

After watching a little TV, and then taking a hot shower, I slip into a pair of dark jeans and a white button up shirt, making sure to leave the top two buttons undone. I'm just sliding on my shoes when the doorbell rings and I rush down to get it. I open the door, and come face to face with Garrett.

"MmmMmm, Eddie. You are looking very fuckable tonight." he says, with a stupid look on his face. I punch him in the arm, and tell him I'm almost ready and then turn to start off up the stairs. I run my hands through my hair once I get back into my bedroom, and I look into my mirror as I try to get some of the unruly hairs to stay put, but then give up when I see they have a mind of their own. I pick up some cologne, spritzing myself quickly, and grab my keys as I head down the stairs.

When I reach the living room, I see Garrett sitting in my leather recliner, remote in hand as he flips through my HBO.

"I'm ready. Lets go" I say. The clock on the cable box says it's a little after 9:15, so we decide to just head out, even though I know Bella wont be there until 10. The drive over is quick and at 9:35 we're getting out of the car, just to wait in the massive line at the door. By the time it turns 10 o'clock, me and Garrett are in the middle of the line, and I'm worried. I don't want Bella to think maybe I stood her up. I take out my phone to call her, when I hear people walking past me, and laughing. I look up and see a tall blonde, wearing a leopard print dress and high heels, a short girl with short black hair, and a short fluffy dress, I guess you could call it? Even though these girls' dresses are so short, I think I can see their vag's, I just can't take my eyes off the brunette standing with them. She's wearing some of the tightest jeans with rips all over, and a black tank top and if that wasn't enough to make my mouth water, she has knee high leather boots with a spiked heel and I think it's about the sexiest thing I've ever seen. All three girls reach the bouncer in the front of the line and the blonde starts talking to him. I keep my eyes on the brunette, and when she turns around and I finally get a glimpse of her face, I feel as if my stomach just fell into my ass.

The beauty with the tight jeans, and boots is Bella, and I find myself adjusting the front of my pants to make room for the massive hard on that sprung up just by looking at her.

"Shit. Did you see those girls, Cullen?" Garrett says next to me, and I slowly nod my head, keeping my eyes on Bella.

"That's Bella." I say

"Which one?" he asks, and I tell him she's the one with the jeans.

"Holy shit, man. That girl is fucking hot." I nod my head, totally agreeing with him as I see the bouncer lift the rope for the girls to go in. I know It's probably going to be about 30 minutes before this line moves up and we can get in, so I start to text her.

"Hey. Bella! Edward's over here!" I hear Garrett yell out, and I don't know whether to kick him in the balls, or stomp on his damn foot to shut the hell up. I look up and see all three girls looking our way and Garrett is next to me, pointing over to me, like the jackass that he is.

Bella smiles when she sees me, and signals for me to go up there, and by the time I realize she's doing that, Garrett is already walking through the doors. I walk out of line, and up to her, and she smiles.

"Hey. How long have you been waiting?" she asks, and I shrug my shoulders as she starts off for the door.

"Uh, maybe a half hour." we walk into the club and the bass from the loud music booming in the club has my insides jumping. "How did you guys jump the line?" I lean down and ask into her ear.

"Rose knows the bouncer from a job she did a couple of years ago." she says, and I nod my head as she leads me to the bar. The bartender walks over to us and asks us what we'd like to drink. Bella looks at me, and tells me to go first, and I order a rum and coke while she orders something called a "Cherry Hooker" . The bartender nods and walks away to fill our drinks and I look at Bella.

"Cherry Hooker?" I ask her and she starts to laugh.

"It's really good. It's cherry brandy and orange juice."

"Sounds good" I say, smiling down at her. I look around, looking for Garrett and spot him talking to a group of girls in one of the tables in the corner. The bartender brings our drinks and I grab mine and take a sip.

"Here. Try it" I hear Bella say and I look down to see her holding up her drink to me. I laugh, but then lean down and take a sip from her glass.

"That is good." I say and she smirks up at me.

"Told you." she says, and starts to walk away. She's a couple of steps ahead of me and she turns around and motions for me to follow her, which I do quickly. She leads me to a corner booth where her two friends are sitting, sipping on champagne.

"Guys, this is Edward. Edward, these are my roommates, Rosalie Hale, and Alice Brandon." I hold my hand out and shake each of their hands. The look that the blonde gives me makes me shift in my seat. She's looking at me like she can read my mind and knows just what I'm thinking about her friend.

I hope that's not the case.

We sip our drinks silently, every so often looking at one another but sadly not saying anything. The songs changes a couple of times before I think of something to talk about and that's exactly the moment that Garrett decides to interrupt.

"Hey, Eddie. This is Sheryl. Sheryl this is my best friend, Eddie and Bella…. And- I'm sorry, I didn't catch you lovely ladies' names." he says, looking to Rose and Alice.

"Maybe you'd know it if you actually sat down at the table with us…." I say, then Rose and Alice bring their hands up and introduce themselves to my already drunk friend. The girl he is with is cute, but she's trying to hard to make herself look sexy… something that comes naturally to Bella. I look over at her, and catch her watching me. I smile and she mirrors my expression and out of nowhere, I actually start to speak to her.

We talk non-stop for a while, the rest of the world just blurring out, leaving only her and I.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

"No, really. You were an asshole to me… ask them! Rose, how many times did I come home complaining about what a jackass he was?" Bella asks. It's just after 1 in the morning, and we are still at the table, talking like we have been doing for the past couple of hours. Bella has been chugging down Cherry Hookers like they were the last coke's in the desert and she's a little tipsy, but I kind of like it.

Garrett is long gone. He took the girl, Sheryl I think her name was, and brought her back to his place, saying something about making sure she got to bed ok. I guess his mourning period is over.

Before Rose can answer, the song blaring in the club changes and Bella squeals as the beginning of 'OMG' by Usher starts to play.

"Edward, C'mon…." she says, and grabs my hand and gets up to run to the dance floor. I look back at Alice and Rose and see them snickering but waving me off. I gulp as I stand up and follow her to the dance floor, she leads us to the middle and lets go of my hand. She turns so her back is against my chest and starts to dance.

Bella dancing is an amazing thing. The way her body moves and her hips sway is enough to make me want to cum in my jeans. The beat starts, and she reaches behind me and grabs my arms and rests them on her hips and then lets go, raising her hands above her head and she continues to sway to the music.

The second verse starts and my cock is already at full attention, every so often hitting her ass as she moves against me. Just when I think I've seen all Bella can do, she bends over, fully pressing herself on me and I groan out loud as she gyrates her ass on me, every so often turning her head and smiling sexily back at me. I don't know what comes over me, but I grab her hips and press her harder against me, smiling when I hear her let out a moan of her own. I move with her as the songs ends and the next one comes on. Bella stands up and turns around to face me, and the look on her face is pure lust, and I know I need to kiss her right then. She moves closer to me and grabs onto the front of my shirt.

I'm about to kiss her when I hear something crash to the floor next to me, and look up to see the face of the one person I never wanted to see again.

"Well, what a surprise! Edward, I see you have a new little whore…" Lauren says. She's just dropped her glass of whatever drink she was sipping on and is now narrowing her eyes at Bella, but even though Bella is a bit intoxicated, she can still work her 'bitch face' better than anyone I know.

"Just get the fuck away from me. Go enjoy your night, find a rich man that you can drain or something." I say, and grab onto Bella and turn to walk away, but I feel a bit of resistance and turn to see Lauren with her hand around Bella's arm.

"Don't waste your time, Honey. He's broke and he works in a porn shop." she tells her and then begins laughing. Bella places her hands on her hips and stares Lauren down.

"I know. I work there too. Aren't you the bitch with the stick up your ass?" Bella says and I can't hold back the laugh that escapes through my mouth. Lauren's eyes are shooting daggers at Bella, but Bella is just smiling at her.

"You're the girl from the shop?" Lauren asks, and then her face relaxes, and she chuckles. "Well, I guess you two have more in common than I thought. When you get tired of hanging with the trash, you can call me, Edward." she says, and leans walks forward, as if to kiss me, only to have her head snap back as Bella grabs onto her hair and pulls her back. Lauren looses her balance and falls onto her back on the ground and the look on her face is priceless.

"If he's not with you, sweetie, then I think he already got tired of hanging with trash. Have a nice night."

Bella stands over her and smirks before turning and grabbing my hand. We make our way back to the table only to find that Rose and Alice are no longer there.

"Where did they go?" I ask, and Bella leans down, grabbing a napkin and bringing it up to her face. She huffs and then hands the napkin to me, and I see that it's a note, written in what looks to be lipstick.

_Didn't want to cramp your style… see you later.. Much later hopefully._ followed by a winky face and Rose's name.

I look over to Bella, whose eyes are on me and I smile. I can't believe our moment was ruined by bitch ass Lauren. I wonder if I'm going to get the chance to kiss her again or if this is just going to be one of those things that are forgotten and never talked about again.

If I didn't think so before, I now know that Bella is amazing. She's fierce, she's an amazing dancer and she is amazingly sexy. And she's perfect for me. I'm about to ask her if she wants to grab some breakfast, when I hear her make a noise and I look up just in time to see her grab her mouth and her stomach.

"Bella. Are you O-" I start, but before I can even finish me question, Bella heaves and spews vomit all over the table.

And me.

* * *

**:)**

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Those of you that got previews, I hope you're not too mad at me that the preview last week was a dream.. haha. Be patient guys... it'll happen.. maybe.**

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**How did you guys like ECLIPSE?... I frigging loved it, even in the corny parts. :)**

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**-Ana**


	11. Chapter 11: Waking Up In His Bed

Finding the Perfect Man

Chapter 11: Waking up in his bed

_His lips trail soft kisses down my back, every so often I can feel the warmth and wetness of his tongue as it darts out and tastes my skin. _

_"Mmmm Edward…" I whimper as he reaches the swell of my ass. His mouth travels to my sides, gently nipping at my hips before cupping both cheeks on his hands, massaging them. I grip onto the sheets harder, feeling the wetness seep out of me and onto the sheets of the bed. I turn my head, anxious to catch a glimpse of him doing this to me but when I turn my head, a shock of pain hits me and I wince._

_'Bella? Are you Ok?" I hear him ask, but I can't answer. I shift my head once more, burying it into the pillows and breathing in his scent._

_"Bella?"_

"Bella?" I hear and he starts to shake me. "Are you ok? You sounded like you were in pain." he says, and that's when I realize I'm not dreaming any more. I slowly lift my head to face him, still feeling the pain in my head and still able to smell him on these sheets, and as I open my eyes, I realize why.

I'm not in my bed. Hell, I'm not in my room. The walls in this room are painted a soft brown, pictures scattered neatly along the sides of the wall. I look down at myself tucked into his massive bed, it's suede light blue comforter tucked around me.

"What am I doing here?" I ask when I notice I'm still wearing the same shirt I wore to the club last night. Edward chuckles and sits on the end of the bed, smiling down at me.

"You got super drunk last night, and threw up all over me. Rose and Alice had left already and you didn't have your phone or id on you, so I didn't know where you lived and I didn't know a number to call your friends at, so I just brought you back here." he says, motioning to his room.

I got drunk? Oh god, I threw up on him? Why don't I remember any of this.

I rub my head, trying hard to remember the night before and I gasp when little pieces of my night start filtering in.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

"I am not wearing that!" I say to Rose as she holds up the micromini skirt along with the tight blank tank top. Rose huffs and shakes her head, tossing the skirt onto the bed and reaching back into my closet.

I thought she was joking when she talked about 'Operation: fuck my boss', but apparently, I was mistaken.

"Fine. No skirt, but you will wear this damn tank top with these…" she says, pulling out a pair of tight ass skinny jeans, rips all over. I groan and she shoves the pants at me, telling me to put them on and then runs to my dresser, pulling out the flimsiest pair of underwear I have. I peel off my clothes, and slide the g-sting up my legs. I grab the jeans, and tug them up my body before buttoning them and turning to Rose, waiting for the rest of my clothes.

Rose hands me the tank top and I furrow my eyebrows at her.

"Um, Rose? Bra?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"Nope. No bra… you, my dear, are free balling tonight… or free titting.. Whatever you want to call it." she says, before disappearing back into my closet. I exhale a long breath and slide the shirt on over my head. I look at myself in the mirror, smiling and turning to the side to get a better look and I can honestly say, I look hot.

"Here ya go." Rose says, taking out my knee high boots with the heel that can double as a weapon. I don't say anything, just grab the boots and sit on the edge of the bed to slide them on. Rose knows what the hell she's doing. She walks out of the room and into her bedroom to get ready, and I get to doing my makeup. I keep it simple, just a little powder with dark eyeliner and smoky eye shadow, and finish it off with some lip gloss. I leave my hair down, just running my hands through the waves and spraying some hairspray to keep it from getting poofy.

I walk out of my room, ready and just waiting for Rose, when Alice comes through the door. She stops where she is, and stares at me, mouth wide open.

"Bella? Where are you going dressed like that?" she asks, and I shake my head and roll my eyes.

"Um… " I say, not knowing what to say. Just then, Rose comes out from her room, looking glamorous as always in her leopard print dress, the fabric clinging to her every curve.

"Hey. Bella is trying to fuck her boss, so we're meeting him at 313. You coming?" she says, stopping to stand in front of us. Alice looks at me quickly, giving me a small smile before nodding her head and walking past us into her bedroom.

"What the fuck, Rose?" I ask, looking over at her as she walks to the fridge and grabs a small orange juice carton and opens it, chugging quickly as she shrugs her shoulders. I huff, for like the 80th time that night, so far, and take a seat at one of the stools in front of the breakfast bar.

Not even ten minutes after she got there, Alice comes out from her bedroom looking incredible in a silver, bustier bubble dress, hitting her right above the knee. Her matching silver peep toe heels make her legs look awesome, and suddenly I'm wondering if maybe I should go and put on the skirt Rose told me to wear…

"Ok, Let's go. It's 9:45." Rose says, and I know I can't run back to my room and change, so I deal with knowing that maybe Edward's eyes will be on one of my roommates instead of me.

We pile into Rose's car, and make our way down to the club, getting there almost exactly at 10. Rose parks the car perfectly in a spot as close to the club as we can get, and we all shuffle out of the car and start to walk to the front.

"Oh my god! Is that Martin?" Rose says as we near the entrance. "I guess we won't have to wait in this long ass line tonight, ladies" she says as we all laugh, passing the poor people who have to wait probably hours to get in here. We make our way to the front, and Rose starts to chat with 'Martin', a big, bald black guy with tattoos all along his arms and even on his neck.

I can't pay attention to what they're saying, because right now, I', fucking nervous. What if Edward doesn't show? What if he hates how I'm dressed? What if he brings that girl who came to the shop that one time?

Rose and Alice start to go towards the door as Martin raises the velvet rope, and motions for them to go inside, and just as I'm taking the first step to follow them, I hear someone calling my name.

I turn to see a good looking blonde waving his arms in my direction. Standing next to said blonde, is none other than Edward Cullen, looking practically edible. His white button down shirt is long sleeved, but he's rolled the sleeves up his arm, showing his muscled forearms. His buttons on the top of his shirt are undone, and I can see the dusting of light chest hair on his amazingly muscled chest. His hair is in it's usual disarray and he's wearing that crooked grin that makes me melt…

I wave them up to where I am, making sure the bouncer Martin knows they're with me. The blonde, Garrett he says his name is as he rushes past me and into the club passes me and I smile and look back at Edward who is a little slower getting to me.

We make small chat once he reaches me, and we walk into the club together. I'm about 6 inches away from his body, and I can smell him. His smell is clean and warm, as if someone bottled the sunshine and he spritzed himself with it. It's amazing.

We reach the bar and I let him order first, and quickly follow with my favorite drink.

"Cherry Hooker?" he asks, and I turn to see one of his eyebrows raised, and a small smile playing on his lips.

I laugh and tell him "It's really good. It's cherry brandy and orange juice." the bartender brings us our drinks, and I hold mine out for him to try. He looks at me for a second and then slowly brings his amazingly perfect lips to the rim of my glass and I tilt the glass, watching as the liquid makes it's way along the side of the glass and to those lips. It pours into his mouth and I can't help but bring my eyes to his throat, watching as his Adams apple bobs as he swallows it down.

"That is good." he says as soon as he's finished and I take my glass back, turning it so that my mouth meets right over where his mouth just was.

What? Is that weird?

We head back to the table where Rose and Alice are and I introduce them. After a while, Edward and I actually start a conversation and I find we have much more in common than I thought we did.

The rest of my memory is kind of hazy, but I do remember slurring something about him being an asshole or something like that, and then the club had to play my song.

Let me tell you something about that damn Usher song… Every time it comes on, I have to dance. Really. In the car, at home, shit, I could be at a funeral and have a car pass by, blaring that song, and I would have to shake my ass. It's just the way it goes. So when I heard that song come on I had to stand up and dance….

But I didn't go alone.

I dragged Edward out of his seat and out to the dance floor, and I then proceeded to press my ass against his cock, and start to dance….

Imagine my surprise when Edward started to move with me. His hands held my waist tightly after I guided them there, and he never let go. I shook my hips and ground my ass into him along with the beat. I would look back at him as I danced, and I saw the way he was looking at me, and if that didn't tell me he was into me, his large, hard dick pressing into my ass sure did.

It was magnificent.

The heat from the lights above the dance floor and the crowd of people on it had me almost dripping in sweat as the song ended and another one started, and I turn around, facing Edward. His face is red from moving with me I guess, and his breathing is deep, but I know it's not from dancing. I know at that moment that I'm not the only one affected right now. The way Edward and my body just moved against each other, the feeling of pressing against one another is something we both want…

And I don't know about him, but I want more.

I grip onto his shirt tightly, pulling him to me as I raise my head to kiss him.

The sound of a glass smashing to the floor next to us has me jumping up and darting my eyes towards the commotion, only to see that bitch, aka Edward's girlfriend staring me down.

I had forgotten all about her.

I only hear half of the conversation, but when she turns her head to me, and tells me not to bother with him because he works in a porn shop, I lose it.

"I know. I work there too. Aren't you the bitch with the stick up your ass?" I say, resting my hands on my hips and moving closer to her as Edward begins to laugh. The bitch then gets a shit eating grin on her face and tries to say that I'm trash, and then leans forward, as if she was going to kiss him or something, and before I can realize what's going on, I have my hand wrapped around her long, stringy hair and I'm pulling her back hard until she falls back. I lean over her, giving her my death glare, and insult her.

And then I tell her to have a nice night, because I am planning on having an amazing one with this Adonis next to me. I grab his hand and pull him through the club, not looking back at that trashy bitch as I make my way to the table… that's now empty.

I have no idea where these bitches went, until of course I see the napkin and lift it and see those bitches left me with Edward… I'm going to have to by them an edible arrangement, or some shit after tonight.. Especially if I get laid.

I try and focus on what happened tonight. Edward and I connected. We talked and we laughed and we danced and we dealt with an ex (I suppose she's an ex) and we almost kissed… and I don't want this night to end.

I look over at him, and he has the same look of content on his face. He takes a breath and starts to say something, but suddenly my stomach starts to churn. I clutch onto it, and cover my mouth but it's too late.

I vomit on the table… and on Edward.

Kill me now.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Bella? Did you hear me?" I'm brought back to the present by Edward leaning down in my face and waving his hand.

"Uh. Sorry, what was that?" I ask, and he smiles and shakes his head.

"I said, would you like something to eat? I can make some toast and eggs for you." he says, and I smile and nod. I swing my legs over the end of his beautiful bed, and that's when I realize I'm still in my clothes from last night. I look down at myself and groan. I hate sleeping in the same clothes from the night before, and I hate smelling like vomit and smoke and liquor, especially if I'm going to be in Edward's presence.

"Hey. If you want to shower, I can give you some of my clothes to wear. I don't want you to be uncomfortable.." he says, almost shyly from the doorway, and I smile.

"Yea. That would be great actually." I say, and his mouth turns up at the corners as he smiles back at me. HE moves back into the room and walks to his dresser, pulling open the drawers and grabbing some things for me. He makes his way back to me on the bed, and hands me the bundle of clothes.

"That should do it. There's towels in the closet in there, and you're welcome to use anything you need. I'll meet you downstairs." he says, showing me that beautiful crooked smile that makes me go weak in the knees and then turning to leave. I clutch his clothes in my hands and slowly bring them up to my nose to inhale them, taking in his amazing scent. My mouth waters and my girly bits start to pulse.

I realize I can do one of two things here. I can be a good little girl, and I can take these clothes, go into the bathroom, shower, dress and then go downstairs and eat the breakfast that Edward made me. Or, I can strip naked right here, call Edward up here, and have wild, dirty, sweaty sex on his beautiful bed. Or the floor. Or the shower.

I strip out of my clothes, letting them all to the floor as I take them off, and I have every intention of walking to that doorway and calling him up, and then maybe waiting on the bed, spread eagle, for him to come and ravish me, but I just can't find the cojones in me to do that, so I walk into the bathroom, alone and shower.

I do use his body wash and shampoo, though, which smell amazing. I take my time in there, letting the hot water pour over me, relaxing my sore muscles. Edward's smell is all around me and I find myself trailing my hands closer and closer to the spot on my body that is desperate for attention. I close my eyes, imagining my hands are Edwards. I run my fingers down my neck, down my torso and in between my breasts. My hands train over my belly button, and I can almost see his face looking up at mine as I trail them down to my pubic bone. I'm about to slip a finger into my folds, when I hear the creak of the door in the bedroom as it opens slightly.

"Bella. Food is ready." I hear Edward call out from the bedroom, and I snap my hands back up and wrap my arms around me.

"Ok. I'll be out in a sec." I say.

I just got blocked by the man who I was fantasizing about… this is bullshit.

I bend forward in the shower, reaching for the knobs that control the shower, and slowly turning it off, letting the water stop flowing from the shower head, and opening the glass door. I reach for the towel, and dab my face with it first, and then work down to my body. Once the excess water is dabbed off of my body, I wrap the towel around me, and step out of the shower.

I walk to the counter in the bathroom, looking at myself in the steamed up mirror quickly before grabbing the pile of clothes Edward gave me. I search through it, finding a pair of basketball shorts, what looks like an old baseball t-shirt, with 'Cullen' on the back, and a pair of boxer briefs.

His boxer briefs. Yum.

Would it be considered 'Perverted' if I took a whiff?

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Once I'm dressed in Edward's clothes, I make my way downstairs, barefooted, and into the kitchen where Edward is waiting for me. I reach the doorway and see him sitting at the kitchen table with the newspaper in his hands and his breakfast right in front of his as his hand holds a half full glass of orange juice.

I clear my throat, and his eyes peek at me over the top of the newspaper, and I smile as he sets it down and gets out of his seat and over to me. He walks over to the chair next to him, where a plate of toast, eggs and a blueberry muffin wait on the table for me. He pulls the chair out, and then looks over to me and with his free hand, motions for me to take a seat.

"Thanks." I say, and then walk over to where he is, taking my seat as he pushes the chair all the way in and hands me a fork.

"Enjoy" he says, leaving me once more with a smile, and walking back to his seat, picking back up his newspaper, and reading. I'm not a big egg lover, in fact I hate them, but I eat them anyway, because he made them. I shovel them down my throat, along with the toast and the muffin and chug down my orange juice. As I set the empty glass down, I look up and see him watching me.

I know he's probably waiting for an explanation of last night. He probably wants to know what the hell I was thinking when I tried to kiss him..

But I remember the look in his eyes. I remember him looking like he wanted our lips to touch just as much as I did. I remember staring into those large green eyes, full of lust for me. He face was flushed and I could feel his cock pulsing with desire against me.

He wanted it… Now I just need to find a way to get us back to that point…

"Edward…. I.." I start to say, only to be cut off by his cell phone ringing from the kitchen. He holds up his finger, motioning for me to wait a moment, and stands up from his chair and walks into the kitchen to grab his phone.

"Hello?" he says and I watch as hit forehead creases and he looks over to me as the person on the other end begins to speak. "Yea. She's right here. I'll put her on.." he says, and then starts to walk towards me with the cell phone in his outstretched hand.

"It's for you. It's Rose." he says, and I furrow my brows as I reach out and grab the phone.

"Hello?" I say into the phone.

"Bella! Shit. I've been trying to get a hold of you. I called your cell but I realized you had left it here, then I call your job and it's not even open yet…" She's rambling…

"Rose… is there something wrong?" I say, interrupting her speech. She inhales deeply and then exhales loudly into the phone.

"Yea… but I need to know… did 'operation: fuck your boss' work?" she asks, and I look quickly over to Edward to find him staring at me intently. I smile and turn slightly so he won't be able to read my lips or anything like that.

"No… Well, not yet anyway…" I say. I wish I hadn't thrown up last night. Who knows how the night would have ended had I been sober… or at least been able to hold my liquor. I most likely would have had a vag full of Edward's peen…

"Eh. There's still time… but, Ok. On to the reason I called you…" she says, inhaling another breath and releasing it before saying the one thing that could fuck up my day.

"Your mom is in town with Phil. When I found your phone, she had called like twenty times… I checked your messages and saw that she told you she was staying at the Hyatt, but that was sent last night. Then this morning I wake up to someone pounding on the door and it's them. I told them you went in to work early for something and told them to stop by later, and your mom said she'd be back at noon…."

Shit.

"Shit. Thanks Rose…. Um.. I'll be there soon." I say. She mutters something but I quickly hang up. Looking over at the clock I see it's just after 10:30 and my mother said she'd be back at noon, but knowing my mother, she'll be there an hour early.

I turn back towards Edward who has a look of worry on his face.

"Everything Okay?" he asks, as I hand him his phone. I bring my hand up to run it through my hair and sigh in frustration at the thought that I'm going to have to deal with my mother in less than a half an hour.

"Yea. I have to get home. My mom's in town and… ugh." I say, rubbing my forehead where the worst pain has just started. Edward walks over to me and rubs my back lightly.

"I'll give you a ride. I have to go into work anyways… Just go up and grab your things. I'll wait for you down here." he says, and I nod and make my way up the stairs. I reach his room where my clothes are scattered on the floor, and I gather them up in my arms and make my way down the stairs. I also have my knee high boots from last night, but seeing how I'm wearing Edward's basketball shorts, I'm sure as hell not going to put on the damn boots… I can deal with walking barefoot for a while.

I reach the kitchen and see Edward there waiting for me by the door that leads to the garage. He grabs the knob, a small smile on his face, and pulls it open, leading me out to the passenger side of his car. He pulls the car door open, and I get in, setting my clothes on my lap and reaching over to tug on my seatbelt. Edward walks around the car, and gets in on his side and quickly starts the car.

His eyes stay where they need to be as he pushes the garage door opener on his visor and light pours through the opened garage door. He looks to the back, backing up out of the driveway and pressing the button to close the garage once more. His eyes dart forward as he puts the car in drive and we make our way down the street and to the front gate in his subdivision.

"Where do you live?" he asks me as we reach the stop sign leading out to the main road.

"Viscanny Village" I say, and he starts to chuckle. "What's so funny?" I ask him.

"You live right around the corner from me…" he says. He turns and within two minutes, we're entering my apartment complex. I point him in the direction of my unit, and he stops in front, putting the car in park, but neither of us making any move to get out. We sit there, in silence, for probably about five minutes before he breaks the silence by clearing his throat.

My eyes shoot to him, and he slowly meets my gaze and I suddenly decide to just go for it, I need to just talk about what happened last night…

"Edward… about last night…" I start, but he holds his hand up, motioning for me to stop.

"Don't worry about it…" he says.

What does he mean? did it mean nothing to him? Does he regret it happened?

I open my mouth to ask him why, when the sound of another car driving past us has me looking over to it, only to see my mother and Phil pulling in to a parking spot near my door.

"Shit.. I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow… Thank you for everything, Edward.." I say and look over to him. He nods his head and I rush out of the car, wanting to get into the house before my mom even sees me. I really don't feel like explaining this situation to her…

I reach the door, and knock quickly. Thankfully, Rose is waiting just on the other side so she answers quickly and I rush in before they have even gotten out of the car. I close the door behind me and lean against the door for a minute, needed to take in a breath. Rose stares at me strangely for a moment, before an evil smile spreads across her face.

"What is that look for?" I ask her as I push off the door, and start to walk to my room.

"Hmm. Wearing his clothes already?" she says, walking over to me and grabbing some material at my shoulder.

"Oh shit. I have to change before…" my sentence is cut off by a knock at the door, and I frantically look around the room. Maybe I can grab a blanket or something and cover myself. Or maybe I can just walk backwards, and say theses are my workout clothes.. They don't have to see the name on the back, right..

"Go change. I'll take care of them." Rose says, and I let out a breath I wasn't even aware I was holding and give her a thankful smile before turning and running to my door.

"Bella…" she says in a loud whisper once I reach my door. I turn to look back at her, and see her looking at me with her hand on the knob. "I want to hear all about it later…" she says and I laugh and walk into my bedroom. I close the door behind me, toss the bundle of clothes in my hand on the bed and run to my drawers, pulling out some yoga pants and a tank top and slipping Edward's clothes off. I take his clothes, and place them under my pillow, totally ready for when I go to bed so I can smell him… is that weird?

I slide on my clothes, and start to walk to the door and I'm about to grab the knob when it shoots open and I come face to face with my mother.

* * *

** I wanted to have this out to you guys on Friday, but I've been having a hectic week. Forgive me. **

**Thanks to everyone who is reading, reviewing, alerting... whatever you do. I love you all. **

**Chapter 12 is almost finished, and I'm going to def. try to have it out by the weekend, if not, it'll be up Monday- Tuesday.**

**Reviews= Previews of the next chapter. **

**-Ana**


	12. Chapter 12: Lost Panties and Tears

**I don't own 'Twilight'. It owns me. :)**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 12: Lost Panties and Tears

She stands there, one eyebrow arched as she slowly taps her foot and crosses her arms in front of her.

"Hi Mom…" I say after a moment and her once tight face loosens and she smiles and holds out her arms for me.

"Hi baby. You sure are hard to get a hold of…" she says as she walks forward and pulls me into a tight embrace. I close my eyes as I feel her arms wrapped around my shoulders. I breathe in the familiar smell of Coco Mademoiselle along with the smell of the same Pantene shampoo she's been using since I can remember. I take a step back once her arms loosen from around me and I take in her appearance. I haven't seen my mother since Christmas two years ago, but she looks about the same. Her light brown hair layered down her back. Her grey eyes the same color as the Seattle sky on a good day. My mother and I have the same body, long and slender, but that's where our similarities end. I take after my father.

"Sorry Mom…. How long have you been in?" I ask her. She smiles bright and grabs my hand.

"We got in last night. I wanted to surprise you, but I called and the line would just ring and ring before going to your voicemail. Then, I tried to stop by, but no one was home."

"Yea. We had a busy night last night…." I say. If only she knew…

"C'mon and say hi to Phil." she says, pulling me from my room and into the hallway. We reach the living room and sure enough, there's Phil sitting on the sofa and flipping through the channels on the TV… I would ask him to make himself comfortable, but I guess he does that on his own.

"Hi Phil" I say as I near him. He looks up at me, gives me a slight smile, and stands up to give me a one handed hug.

"Hey Kiddo. How ya been?" he asks, and I shrug my shoulder and tell him I've been good and he nods his head and takes his seat once again on the couch. I look over to my mom who shrugs her shoulders and I motion for us to go to the kitchen. My mom sits at one of the stools at the breakfast bar, and I reach up into the cabinets for two mugs for coffee.

"What made you guys come out here?" I ask her as I fill the coffee maker.

"I haven't seen you in so long. Plus, Phil got a couple of days off and we had some money saved in the bank, so I figured I should come out and see you since you haven't been to see me in years." she says, giving me the mom guilt.

I went out to Arizona to see my mom 2 years ago for Christmas. I would have gone last year, but she told me she had plans to go to Florida to see Phil's family, so I just went to my dad's.

It's drama free over there.

"Sorry mom." I don't rub it in her face that the reason I haven't seen her in so long is her own fault. If she would just grow a pair and stand up to her husband, maybe she'd see me more often. "So, how long are you guys going to be here?" I ask her, handing her a mug of coffee and the creamer and sugar. She grabs the mug in her hands, thanking me for it and then reaches for the creamer.

"We're here till Tuesday." she says, and I silently groan. After all, it's only Saturday.

"Cool. Well, what do you want to do? I'm off today, but I work the rest of the time." I tell her, grabbing my own steaming mug and making my way around the breakfast bar to sit next to her on the stool. She takes a sip of her coffee, slowly blowing into the mug to cool it before it reaches her lips and then places the mug down when she's had a sip.

"Lets…" she starts, but Phil's voice rings out through the whole apartment.

"Renee. I left my phone in the car. Go get it." he says, and my mother practically jumps up from her chair and walks to the front door. She opens it, and disappears outside only to come back a couple of minutes later, Phil's phone in hand. She shuts the front door behind her and she walks over to Phil is, handing him his phone before she walks back over to me. Phil doesn't say thank you, but then again, he never does.

My mom met Phil when I was 13. At first he seemed like an all right guy, but then I started noticing strange things about him. First of all, things starting disappearing in the house, and my mother would act like it was no big deal. She started being strict with me for no reason. I'd have to come straight home after school, even though I'd usually hang out with friends. I was suddenly given a large chore list of things I never had to do before, and it would be checked by him every day, and lord help me if it wasn't done right.

This went on for a couple of months, and then a month or two after my 14th birthday, the computer went missing, and I just had had enough. When I confronted my mother, she told me she had to bring it somewhere to get fixed, but I didn't believe her.

Weeks went by and there was still no sign of it, so I decided to confront them both. It wasn't pretty.

Phil yelled, and my mom cried, but I found out that Phil had been telling my mom to pawn her things so that he could have money. He wasn't working, and he wanted to see our hard earned things so that he wouldn't have to work. The smug look on his face as my mom told me this had me lunging at him before I even knew what the hell I was doing…

I was on a plane to Forks the very next day and I didn't see my mother or hear from her for months. I didn't mind not hearing from her though, because the second she took his side instead of her own daughter's, was the second she became nothing to me.

We reconciled a couple of months later, and I've forgiven my mother for what happened that day, but I refuse to forget.

"Like I was saying, Maybe we should go shopping." she says, and I nod my head as I take the last sip of my coffee and stand to walk over to the sink to rinse the mug out. I know that it will probably be an interesting day if Phil decides to come with us, which he most likely will, not wanting to be left in the hotel room by himself.

"Let me just change real quick, and I'll be right out." I tell her and she nods and walks over to the sofa, sitting next to Phil. I get into my room, closing the door behind myself and walking to my closet. Not even a full minute after I get in my room, Rose comes in, shutting the door behind her and rolling her eyes.

"Geez, That guy has his damn feet up on our coffee table? What the hell is up with him?" she asks.

Rose had only met Phil once or twice. She didn't like him.

Rose leaves after complaining a bit more about him, and I promise her I wont let him back in the house again. I slip on some denim shorts, along with a green tank top and finish the outfit with a pair of white flip flops. I look over to my bundle of my clothes from last night on the edge of the bed, and I walk over to pick them up and put them away. The shirt needs to be dry cleaned, so I hang that up and push it to the end of the closet. The jeans can be washed in the normal laundry, so I toss it to the corner of my room where the laundry hamper is. I reach down to grab my panties, but when my hands fail to grab onto anything, I look down only to see nothing there.

Where the fuck are my panties?

My lace g-string is nowhere to be found, and I start to panic. Where did I leave them? Did I drop them in the parking lot? Did I drop them in the entry way of the house? I don't remember seeing them…

Then it hits me.

I left my underwear at Edward's house. I bring my palm up to my forehead, smacking hard as I realize this. My g-string is probably in the middle of Edward's bathroom as we speak, and there's no way I can get them…

The mortification I feel is soon replaced with a feeling of excitement. My sexy panties are in his bathroom… I can almost see the scene before me.

_Edward comes home from a long day at work. He's exhausted, and sore, and all he wants is a warm shower and to hit the sheets. He walks into his bathroom, slipping of one article of clothing after another until he's left in just his boxer briefs. He stands in front of the sink, running the water and grabbing his toothbrush from it's holder, squeezing toothpaste onto the brush and bringing it to his mouth, brushing in small circles…_

What? I think it's sexy when a man takes care of his oral hygiene.

Anyways… back to my fantasy.

_He rinses out his mouth, placing the toothpaste back onto it's holder and walking over to the shower. He opens the glass door, turning the knob on the shower all the way up and waiting as the steam fills the closed space before tugging the boxer briefs down his lean legs until they pool at his feet. He bends down, grabbing the underwear as he raises one foot, then the other and then tosses the briefs onto the side. His under lands in a heap near his sink, and he looks over to where they are quickly and then places a foot inside the shower only to snap his head back towards the sink. _

_There, underneath the sink is an item he doesn't recognize. He makes his way over slowly, eyes squinted, trying to make out what it is. He reaches it, and leans down, grabbing it in his hands and lifting it up. His eyes bug out when he realizes what he's looking at. His mouth waters and his tongue darts out to lick his lips…_

_Bella's underwear…._

_He runs his fingers over the lace at the front of the g-string, knowing that just hours before, it housed the one thing he's been dying for…_

_Her pussy._

"Bella? Are you ready yet?" I hear my mother yell from the other side of the door. My eyes shoot open and I realize my hand has found it's way into my shorts…

Why am I always getting twat blocked?

"Coming, Mom." Well, I could have been, until you had to knock and fuck it up.

I walk over to my dresser, grabbing my bottle of hand sanitizer and squeezing some of the clear gel onto my hands, rubbing furiously and then walking out the door.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"You got that mom?" I yell at her from the window of the drivers seat.

We went to the mall, and we went crazy. My mother had me in every damn store, looking at every damn thing, and she came out of the mall with bags upon bags of things. Thankfully, Phil decided to stay at the hotel, so my mother and I were able to shop without the drama he usually causes.

"Yea. I got it sweetie. Will I see you tomorrow?" she asks as she lugs her numerous bags towards her hotel room.

"I work all day tomorrow. Monday I don't go in until 6 though." I say. She frowns but then nods her head.

"Okay, sweetie. I'll see you Monday, then." she says, attempting to wave goodbye to me, but failing. I wait until she disappears behind the door of her hotel room before I take off back towards the road. The sun is beginning to set on the horizon and the time on the dash says it's a little after 7pm.

It's Saturday night, and I have nothing to do. I talked to Rose and Alice and both of them have plans to stay over their fiancé's houses, and although they each did invite me to join them, I opted out, not wanting to be the 3rd wheel in either of their nights.

The almost kiss from last night is still fresh in my mind. I'd give anything to go back and not drink as much, but then, if I hadn't, would I have grinded on Edward like that? Would I have tried to kiss him? Would he have tried to kiss me too?

I doubt it.

I fly through the streets, pissed that I probably blew my chance and I don't even realize I blew through a red light until I see the red and blue lights flashing in my rear view mirror.

Shit. Just what I need right now.

I groan, and pull my car over to the side of the road, put the shit in park and cross my arms over my chest as I wait for the officer to get out of his car and come over to my window.

"Hey there. You in a hurry?" I hear him say as he reaches my window. I huff, keeping my eyes straight ahead, annoyed with this whole situation.

"Actually I am. I have a hot date with Senior Rabbit and internet porn." I say. I look up when I hear a loud, raucous laugh ring out from the officer and when I do, I come face to face with a man that looks like he should be on the cover of a magazine.

Like the magazine for amazingly hot men… If there isn't such a thing, they need to come up with one and put this damn guy on the cover every month.

"Can I get your license and registration, please?" he asks, still chuckling from my outburst, which suddenly has me kind of embarrassed.

"Sure." I say, and then unbuckle my seat belt, and lean over the center counsel and reach out for my glove compartment. I rummage around in there for my shit, and when I finally get it, I lean back into my seat, and hand them to the officer.

The officer, whose nametag says M. Newton, has a slight blush to his face as he grabs my things. He excuses himself and then walks back to his car as I'm left there wondering what's got him so hot and bothered.

Then I realize that I've just bent over, flashing my barely covered ass to him…

"Oh god." I groan out and then throw my head forward, lightly banging it on my steering wheel.

"Um. Miss Swan?" I hear him say, and I snap my head up to meet his gaze. There's a small smile playing at his lips and I hold my hand out to collect my license and registration.

"I'm just going to give you a warning this time. Be careful out there." he says, smiling. I give him a small smile back, and as much as I want to flirt with him, I can't. The image of Edwards face last night as his lips neared mine is stuck in my head, and not even Officer Fuckhot can take that away.

He walks away from my window, walking back towards his car, and I throw my car into drive and take off down the road. I pull into the apartment, and park the car and then get out and make my way to my truck to take out the small amount of things I bought. I grab the two bags and make my way up to my door, sliding my key in and opening the door.

The apartment is silent. And lonely, and I can't help but think of how it will be like this when both Alice and Rose leave me. I'll have to move to a smaller one, being that this one has 3 bedrooms, and I have no need for all of that, but it'll just be me.

I set my bags on the floor and make my way to the kitchen, open the fridge and grab a bottle of water before making my way to my room to catch up on the latest internet gossip. I pull out my laptop once I reach my room, and fire it up, kick my feet up on the bed and lean back against the pillows as I wait for the password prompt.

I sign into my email, which is full of things like "Watch Mona Moan" and "Big guy rams granny". Damn these spam emails. I move the mouse to click the x at the top and as I do that, my phone rings from the living room. I toss my laptop to the side and start to run down the hall and into the living room, grab my bag from the floor and dig around for my cell phone. I finally grab it, and press the green button, completely forgetting to check who it is first.

"Hello?" I say, out of breath into the phone.

"Hi. Bella. It's Edward." I hear his rich, velvety voice say through the phone and I immediately feel the rush of warmth that only his voice can do to me.

"Hi. What's up?" I choke out as I rub my thighs together.

"Um. I'm having trouble with one of the registers, and Tony said you're the only one who knows how to fix it." he says, and I smile.

"Yea. Um. I'll be right there." I say and then he says ok and hangs up the phone. I run into the bathroom, checking myself in the mirror and when I see I'm still looking all right, I walk down the hallway, and into the kitchen, grab my bag and make my way out the door.

I make it to the shop quickly, being that it's Saturday and there isn't much traffic and as I park, I notice the Honda parked in the back and remember that the new girl Angela started today. I walk up to the door, and pull it open and see Edward, Angela and Tony as they hover over the cash register in question, all with puzzled looks on their faces.

"I'm here, I'm here. Step back and watch a pro…" I say, setting my bag down on the counter and stepping behind it. I stretch my arms out in front of me and intertwine my fingers before pushing my hands out and cracking my fingers. I look over at Tony to see a smirk on his face, and I stick my tongue out and turn to the cash register.

I lift my arms over my head, close my eyes and take in a deep breath.

"Hiii-Ya!" I yell, and bring my fist down on the top of the register, making the drawer pop open. Tony starts to clap, like the ass that he is and soon after, Edward and Angela join in so I decide to milk this. I raise my arm out in front of me, waving my hand in a tight little circle before bringing it to my chest and doing an exaggerated bow.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Tony yells and I start to laugh and then stand up and walk over to him to smack him in the chest.

"Thanks for coming out here and fixing this for us." I hear the smooth voice of my dream lover say from the corner.

Dream lover? That sounds so corny, but it's what he is, right?

"No problem. Not like I had anything to do today anyways." I say, smiling at him before looking over at Tony and Angela.

"How has your first day been?" I ask her, and she cracks a large grin and shakes her head.

"I've seen things today that will most likely scar me for the rest of my life…" she says, chuckling at the end of her sentence and I start to laugh with her.

"Well. Welcome and it's just the beginning." I say, smiling at her.

"Bella. You said you weren't doing anything… you want to come with us to Lux?" Tony says. Lux is a bar close to the shop where we sometimes go. The drinks are moderately priced, and the only thing dirty in there are the whores that frequent it looking for me, but it's a good place.

I look at Tony and then my eyes dart to where Edward is standing, running his hands through his glorious hair and tugging on the ends and avoiding my eyes.

"Sure. All of you are going?" I ask, and Angela nods.

"They thought it would be a nice initiation for me. See how much the new girl can hold down, but I told them already… I'm a champ." she says with a smirk and I can't help but laugh.

"Sounds good. Let me just go home and get changed and I'll be back in time for you guys to close and then we'll head out, k?" I ask, and they all nod. I grab my bag, and keys and I'm about to walk out the door, but I don't want to hold this off for much longer. Edward is avoiding looking at me, and I feel like we have something to take care of before we go out tonight, so I call his name.

"Can you walk me out? I have something to talk to you about." I say, ignoring the look on Tony's face with his mouth formed into an 'O' and his eyes wide.

"Uh. Sure." he says, digging his hands in his pockets and following me out the door, across the parking lot and to my car. I turn when I reach it, and nervously toss my keys from hand to hand, thinking about how I'm going to start this conversation. Do I just put it all out there all at once? Do I ease into it before slapping him with it?

I choose the first option.

"About the other night, Edward. I know you said to just forget it, I can't. What happened between us?" I ask, looking up at him to see his eyes wandering everywhere but not meeting mine. He inhales a deep breath before reaching up and digging his hands in his hair one last time.

"Bella. What happened the other night was unacceptable, and a mistake. It's unprofessional and it shouldn't have happened in the first place. I'm your boss technically, and our relationship has to be strictly friendship… Nothing else." he said it without meeting my eyes, and his voice, usually so warm and comforting was cold and distant. I took a deep breath, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill over and I nodded my head at him, unlocked my car, and sat down.

"I'll see you guys in a little bit.." I say to him before shutting the door, and turning on the car and driving off, leaving him there in the parking lot, hands in his pockets with his eyes cast down. The tears came as it turned the corner from the shop, and they flowed slowly down my face as my eyes filled up with more. I don't know what I expected out of that conversation. Maybe I wanted to hear that he didn't want to stop, that he wanted more, that he wanted more with me.

But it didn't happen.

I get to my apartment, run in and immediately go into the bathroom. I stand in front of the sink, looking at my reflection in the mirror and taking in my red, watery eyes and my tear stained cheeks and I wonder what the hell is my deal.

So Edward didn't want me that way. So he brushed me off and left me feeling stupid and mad at myself for putting myself out there like that…

I wouldn't let this break me. I was on a search for the perfect man, and obviously, Edward isn't it. But there was someone out there for me, and I was going to find him.

I straighten up, wipe the tears off of my cheek and turn on the shower.

After I'm freshly washed, I walk into my closet and pull out something sexy yet casual which just happens to be a pair of skinny jeans and an off the shoulder top with newspaper print all over it and as I looked in the mirror, I couldn't believe how hot I looked.

My mind was set. I would go to the bar with my friends tonight. I would have fun and enjoy their company, and I'd forget about the events of the other night.

My search would continue…

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

I got to the shop a couple minutes before closing and we all walked the 3 blocks to the bar. Even though the area is kind of sketchy after dark, I knew all four of us could take someone on if need be, so I wasn't worried.

Lux was semi full. Rock music played loudly through the dimly lit bar, and business looking men lined the bar, along with random whores chatting up the men, probably trying to turn a trick. We found an empty spot at the bar, and we walked up to it as Tony took drink orders.

"Rum and Coke" Edward said, and I couldn't help but remember how he ordered that the other night.

"Kamikaze" Angela said, and we knew right there that she could hold her shit, because the kamikaze's always fuck me up.

"Um. I think I'll have a long island ice tea…" I say, and the bartender comes up and Tony rattles off our orders, adding in his Alabama Slammer and then pointing to Edward and telling the bartender that this round was on our asshole boss. We all laughed, as did Edward and he took out his wallet as he slammed the money on the bar and grabbed his drink.

I took a gulp of my drink, loving the feeling of the coolness running down my parched throat. Edward and Tony begin to talk, and I turn to Angela and we start up a conversation. I find out that she lives in the same apartment complex as me, so I make sure to invite her over to meet Alice and Rose. It's never a bad thing to get to know your neighbors and she's a cool girl I know Alice and Rose will like.

We're at the bar, laughing, when I feel someone bump into me from behind. I narrow my eyes and turn to face the asshole, ready to pour my drink over them when I come face to face with Officer M. Newton who is looking mighty fine in a black shirt with white pinstripes and jeans.

His eyes light in recognition as mine probably do, and his mouth turns up in a wide smile.

"Isabella Swan, right?" he says, and I chuckle and nod my head.

"It's Bella. Pleasure seeing you here Officer M. Newton." I say, smirking up at him. He laughs, throwing his head back before looking back towards me and holding out his hand.

"It's Mike." I bring my hand out and shake his, and I'm immediately impressed by the firm handshake he gives me. My father always said you can tell a lot about a man by his handshake, and Mike's is telling me that his monster fingers can do amazing things to the vag…

Just a guess.

"So what brings you here tonight? Are you undercover trying to catch underage drinkers?" I say, smiling as I grab the straw from my drink and bring it to my lips slowly. His eyes are on my lips as I wrap them around the straw and slowly start to suck the liquid into my mouth. He licks his lips, and then clears his throat, darting his eyes to mine and smiling.

"No. I'm here with a couple of friends actually. And you?" he says, and I point to my friends at the bar next to me.

"Guys, this is Officer Mike, he pulled me over this afternoon…" I say, which causes them all to laugh. Except for Edward. At this moment, Edward is staring Mike down like he owed him money or something.

The rest of the night was much of the same. Mike joined us and hung out with us the whole night. Edward had kept the same look on his face, taking every chance to give Mike the stink eye. Angela and Tony mostly enjoyed the show in front of them…

And I didn't understand it.

Not even 6 hours before, Edward had basically told me we would be nothing but friends, but his actions said otherwise.

At 2am, we all got up to leave. Mike and I exchanged numbers and he promised we'd get together soon. We all called cabs, not wanting to drive home after drinking and as I stepped into the cab with Angela, I looked back to was at Edward and Tony and waved, only to have Tony wave but Edward give me a slight nod as the cab drove away.

"He's got it bad." I hear Angela say from beside me and I look to her before scoffing and shaking my head.

"No. Trust me, he doesn't." I say, bending my head down to pick at an imaginary thread on my shirt.

"Don't be so sure, Bella." she says, and I don't know what to say back, so I don't say anything. The rest of the ride home is silent, and when we finally get to the apartments, Angela waves me off and starts to walk to her apartment on the other side of the complex.

I reach my door and as I stick the key in and turn, my phone rings from my pocket. I pull it out, and look at the name flashing on the screen and I smile.

Mike

I'm excited he's calling me already. I mean, we really hit it off and he seemed like an awesome guy.

Yet my mind still wanders to the bronze haired boss of mine who has no business being in my head…

* * *

**Whoo. 2 updates in a week! You're welcome ;)**

**Ok, so good news... I GOT THE HOUSE... can i get a Yay! Go ahead, I'll wait... Ok. So, what does this mean? It means more time for me to be home, writing chappys. We asked for a fast closing and it was scheduled for 2 weeks from now, but the bank wants it sooner... so it looks like it'll be next week. Again, what does that mean? It means that when my husband is off, i'll be packing and getting things ready, but when he's at work, I'll be glued to my Vaio, clicking at the keys like a madwoman. **

**I haven't done any Rec's in a bit, so here we go.**

**Right now i'm reading 'The Ex Factor: Edward and Bella by AngelAtTwilight' and let me tell you... I love it so far, so go and check it out. **

**If you haven't been reading 'Emancipation Proclimation' then I'm sorry, but you need a kick in the ass. It's amazing and can be found on the author, Kharizzmatik's blog. Just google her name and Emancipation Proclimation. You won't regret it. **

**Allright. I think that's all. Thank you to everyone who reads this. I love you all. See you soon :)**

**-Ana**


	13. Chapter 13:Bad News & Late Night Visits

**Ahem* Some Parts of this might not be suitable for children. :)**

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Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 13: Bad News & Late night visits

EPOV

I had to tell her that. I had to lie to Bella. I had to tell her it was a mistake and that it wouldn't happen again, even though I wanted it so bad.

It broke my heart as I looked at her face then. Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears and she leaned her head back and started blinking quickly, trying to keep herself together in front of me. But I know that once she got into her car, those tears would fall and it would be my fault.

I caused her to shed tears.

I wished I could dart across the parking lot, grab her up in my arms and kiss those tears away, but I couldn't. Bella didn't deserve to be talked to like I had talked to her, but she also doesn't deserve to be thrown into my drama just by being with me.

After bringing home Bella the night at the club, I laid her in my bed, and watched as she slept. Every so often a soft moan would fill the room as the dreams played through her head, and other times a smile would tug at her mouth, leaving me breathless by her beauty. As I laid there beside her, all I could do was remember the night we just had.

Our dance. Our almost kiss…. I wanted it. I wanted it all, and I wanted Bella to want it to. But when she woke up the next morning and couldn't remember a single thing about the night before, I realized that none of it was real. The fact that she didn't remember anything told me everything I needed to know. Her actions weren't actually how she felt, they were a result of the alcohol she had consumed and it wasn't real.

None of it.

I had tried my best to be nice to her for the days leading up to it, and I thought we had been getting along, but I guess it just wasn't the way I wanted it to be.

I made her breakfast and let her take a shower and when she came down, I watched happily as she ate the meal I had prepared for her. When she finished, it had sounded like she was trying to talk about last night, but then the phone had to ring and fuck it all up for us.

It turned out to be her friend and roommate that I had met the night before, and she told Bella that her mom was here and she needed to get home. So I drove her home. She turned to me and was about to start the conversation about last night with me, but I stopped her. I didn't need her telling me to forget it. I already knew we would have to do that. So I did it for her.

After I left her at her house, I realized I had left my phone at home, so I turned back around to go get it. Instead of opening the garage to walk through the kitchen like I usually do, I parked in the driveway and walked up to my front door. As I approached the door, I noticed there was something taped to the door and as I got nearer, my breathing got shallower.

I stood in front of the unopened door for what seemed like hours, but actually was about 5 minutes, looking at the black and white image before me and reading the note above it.

"_I told you. You can't get rid of me now" _The note said, and if I hadn't already known who put this on my door, the handwriting was a dead giveaway.

Lauren somehow got in through the front security gates, and left this here.

What is usually a happy situation, had my stomach dropping and my head spinning. Because she's not the person I want to do this with….

Not at all.

I finally was able to get passed the shock and actually go into the house for my phone. I ripped the picture from the door, throwing it inside and slamming the door shut. My hands were shaking with rage as I locked the door, and as I walked back to my car, I dialed her number.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked as she answered the phone. She chuckled into the phone and sighed.

"That was our baby, Edward. I went to the doctor the day before, and it turns out, I'm about 10 weeks pregnant. Congratulations daddy." she says, making me even more upset. I slam my fists into the steering wheel, ignoring the pain, just needing to get the frustration out.

"Fuck you, Lauren. You're full of shit. I've always used a condom with you, so how about you stop posting these pictures on my door and go find the real father." I say as I start the car and start to speed down the road.

Again she laughs at what I've said. "You are the real father, Edward. I've known that I was pregnant for a couple of weeks, but I knew you wouldn't believe me if I told you, so I had to wait for there to be an opening at the doctors. Another thing, we've _almost_ always used condoms. Do you forget about our anniversary?" she says, and I can tell by her voice that she has a shit eating grin on her face. Then I slam my hand even harder on the steering wheel, because I remember exactly what she's talking about.

On our anniversary, I decided to take Lauren into the city. We were having money trouble, but I wanted her to have a good time, so we ate at a nice Japanese restaurant, and spent the night in the hotel. We got a little drunk at the restaurant and we had sex. In the morning, I woke up still inside of her, with no condom on.

I freaked, to say the least, but she told me not to worry because she would take the morning after pill, and I don't know why, but I trusted she would.

I don't know what to say to her. I want to yell, I want to scream, I want to tell her I never want to see her fucking face again, but instead of doing all that, I hang up on her, and shut off my phone. I can deal with her later, after I've calmed down.

I go to work, trying my best to keep my attitude at bay, after all, it's not their fault my life is about to be thoroughly fucked.

Then the register fucked up and Tony told me Bella was the only one who knew how to fix it, so I had to call her. Just her voice did things to me, and when she agreed to come by and fix it, I got giddy inside, but tried to hide it by avoiding looking at anyone. Before she came, Tony and Angela decided we should go to Lux for a drink after work, and I agreed. A drink is what I needed.

That turned to double time when Tony invited Bella after she fixed the register and when she said yes, I knew tonight would be difficult. Then she asked me to go outside so we could talk, and as much as I wanted to talk to her about the night before, I couldn't let her get involved in this. Not after the news I had just gotten hours before.

So I lied and told her what I thought would be best, even though it was so far from the truth…. As she drove away, I felt a tugging sensation in my chest, almost as if she was taking a piece of my heart with her, as corny as that sounds.

I went back into work, and in no time, it was time to close. I started counting the money in the register and putting it away.

And then she walked through the door.

She looked amazing, and every hair on my body stood on end as the sparks I feel when she is near started shooting off at full speed. She was beautiful.

But she could never be mine. Especially now.

We went to the bar, and ordered drinks, Tony telling the bartender that the first round was on me, and I chuckled and slapped down $30 to cover the drinks and a tip for the bartender.

I got into a conversation with Tony about music, and the next thing I know, I see Bella talking to some asshole. The guys is tall, not taller than me, but around there. His hair is blonde and he looks like a giant douche, but he has her smiling. She introduces us to him, telling us that he's a police officer that pulled her over earlier today, and I can't help but narrow my eyes at him. He looks like a dick, and I can see how he's trying his best to get to Bella and she's falling for it. Laughing with him, smiling at him, touching his arm. It pisses me off, because it should be me causing her to laugh or smile. Her hand should be on my body.

I watch them the rest of the night, and finally when it's time to leave, I walk with everyone outside. We've all had a couple of drinks and decide to each take cabs. I could have ridden with Angela and Bella, seeing how I live a couple of blocks from them, but I decide to take one with Tony.

We settle into the cab, and Toy gives his address, which turns out to be pretty close to me. Not as close as Bella, but still close nonetheless.

"So… You got it hot for Bella?" he asks, and I choke on my spit. I clutch at my chest, and cough up a storm, trying to clear my throat to be able to breathe.

"What makes you think that?" I ask, avoiding his eyes as I look out at the night sky, and the buildings lighting up the night sky.

"I see how you look at her when you think nobody's watching." I start to shake my head, but he speaks out again. "Your secret is safe with me… but I just want to let you know that you can tell her. You never know, she might feel the same way." he says with a smile, but I shake my head once more.

"She can't get involved with me, Tony. I have too much baggage…" I say, and I feel as his hand lands on my shoulder and I look up and into his eyes.

"Who doesn't?" he says, and smiles. I force a smile back at him and look back out the window. If only he knew what kind of baggage I carried around. Thousands of dollars in debt, and about to bring a baby into the world with the only person in the world that I couldn't care less about….

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

I don't sleep well that night. I wake up early the next morning after about two hours of sleep, and I get up to start my day. I'm off today, so I had plans to just relax at home.

But I don't even know what relaxing is at the moment. How can you relax when your life is about to turn to shit?

I take a look at the clock, and see that it's a little after 7 in the morning. I know what I need to do today, so I pick up my phone from the nightstand and dial her number.

"It's really early Edward…" she says into the phone and I roll my eyes.

"Meet me at Le Bistro in an hour." I say, and she tells me she'll be there. She almost sounds happy… that makes one of us.

I hang up the phone, and shed my clothes and walk into the bathroom. I walk over to the shower, running my hand through my hair as I use my other one to turn on the shower. I turn up the heat all the way, and turn back around to the sink. I reach over the counter and grab up my toothbrush, wetting it under the flowing water from the faucet and squeezing a bit of the toothpaste onto the brush. I throw the toothpaste down, and move the brush up to my lips and before it reaches my teeth, it slips from my hand and goes tumbling down to the ground.

"Shit. Can I ever get a damn break." I grunt out as I lean down to grab the damn toothbrush. It fell under the sink so I reach my hand back there to try and grab it, but my hand doesn't touch the toothbrush. It touches something soft, and lacy feeling. I grip on to the offending object and pull it out, and my eyes nearly bug out of my head when I realize what I'm holding in my hand.

I hold up the lacy, barely there underwear, and I can't fight the heat the rushes through me as my dick hardens and my mouth waters. For in my hand, I hold Bella's underwear…

How do I know it's Bella's underwear, do you ask? Well. The night I brought her to my house and put her in my bed, I was going to take off her pants, not wanting her to be uncomfortable as she slept, and as I tugged down the nearly painted on jeans, I caught a glimpse of these bad boys.

I tugged her pants back up of course, and buttoned them up and then I went into the bathroom and rubbed one out. And seeing these here in my hand, I know I'm going to have to do it again. I shut the water in the sink off, and walk over to the shower, panties in hand and get in. I sit on the bench I have in there and hang the panties on the hook, far away from the flowing water and I shut my eyes as I feel the lace, and remember how good it looked on her.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

After my shower, I felt amazing. I cradled Bella's panties in my hand as I got dressed, and tucked them away in my nightstand… for later. My mom quickly changed as I got into my car and started off towards Le Bistro to meet Lauren.

I get there, and ask the host if anyone has gotten here yet and is waiting for me, and he quickly says no and leads me to the outside part of the restaurant, giving me a quaint little table, and handing me a menu. I order a coffee, and sip at it slowly when it gets there as I wait for Lauren to get here.

15 minutes later, I'm about to get up and leave when I see her turning the corner and walking over to me, a large messenger bag hung over her shoulder.

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long, but I have horrible morning sickness…." she says with a smirk and I swear, I just want to rip her fucking face off.

"Whatever… Listen. To be honest with you, I don't believe a damn word you say about this. I think you're trying to trap me with a fake pregnancy, so I'm going to need to go to the doctors with you to confirm…" I say, interlocking my fingers together in front of me as I look over at her. She raises an eyes brow as she removes the bag from her shoulder and places it in her lap.

"That won't be necessary, Edward. I got all this paperwork from the doctor's to confirm my pregnancy." she says, smiling wider now. "I told them you wouldn't believe me." she says as she pulls out a purple folder and tosses it over to me. I grab up the folder, and open it and start to look through the papers.

There's a letter saying her name and her due date. There's a pregnancy book in here, along with a list of things to avoid. A book showing the growth of a fetus, and finally there's a pregnancy test, with two pink lines showing.

I drop the folder onto the table and close my eyes as I dig my hands into my hair.

This is real…. She's fucking pregnant.

"If you don't believe me still, I was going to make an appointment with your father. I'm sure he and your mom would be excited to know that they're going to be grandparents." she says, and I snap my eyes to her as I slam my fists down onto the table, sending the rest of my coffee flying to the floor, and earning stares from the people around us. I lean in towards her, resting my forearms on the table top and getting as close as possible to her.

"You will do no such thing. I'm going to tell you what you're going to do, Lauren." I seethe at her, "You're going to stay the fuck away from my family, you're going to stay the fuck away from me, unless you have a doctor's appointment or something like that. I'll pay for your care, but as soon as this baby comes out, I'm getting a paternity test. If it's not mine, I want you to get the fuck out of my life, and I never want to see your face again. If it's mine, I will step up and take care of my child, but that doesn't mean I have to be with you to do it."

I stand up and toss her the folder.

"Text me your next appointment date and I'll go with you." I say and then walk away, leaving her at the table by herself. I walk over to my car, and get in and start the car quickly and speed off towards my house. I can only hope that Lauren doesn't go to my parents with this. All she would have to do is make an appointment at my father's Ob/gyn office and I'd be fucked. I don't want them knowing until it's for sure. I know my parents. My father will be upset, and probably wont speak to me anymore, but my mother would be pissed for a minute but then would probably spend a ridiculous amount of money on the baby.

I get home, and do everything I can to get the thought of what is going on out of my head. I clean my house from top to bottom, I reorganize my closet, and do some laundry. By the time I finish, I realize it's after midnight and I still haven't eaten. I walks downstairs to my kitchen, and take out the ingredients to make some spaghetti. I start to boil the water, and warm the sauce and 20 minutes later, I'm sitting at my dining room table, eating the best spaghetti I've ever had…

You can't really fuck spaghetti up.

I get up to put my dish in the sink when I hear my cell phone ringing from my pocket. I pull it out, and have to take a double take when I see the name on the screen.

"Hello?" I say into the phone, but I'm only met with the sound of sniffles and sobs. "Bella? What's wrong? Are you ok?" I say and I hear as she sniffs again.

"E-Edward. I'm S-Sorry to bother you, but I just tried to call Rose and Alice and neither of them are answering the phone. And Tony is off today, and I had to keep my self together at work today so I wouldn't freak out Angela, but as soon as I closed the shop, I walked out to my car, and I've just been crying ever since."

I dig my hands into my hair as I pace around the room.

"Where are you Bella?" I ask, and she sniffles again and sucks in a breath.

"I'm at your front gate. I wanted to come and talk to you, but I don't know the gate code so I've just been waiting out here for someone to come in, but I guess no one is really out in this neighborhood at 12:30 in the morning…" I shake my head, and fight back a smile as I hear her ramble on.

"Bella. The code is 2-9-6-6-0. Come in. I'll be waiting for you outside." I say, and I hear her punching in the numbers.

"it worked. It's open." she says.

"Ok. Come in. Take a left at the first street and follow it all the way down until you see me. I'll be on the left, house number 1549."

The line is quiet, except for the occasional sniffle from her and a couple of seconds later, I see the headlights of her Acura as she nears my house. I wave my arms in the air as she pulls into the drive way and I'm at her door before she even turns off the engine. I open her door for her, and pull her out of the car, wrap my arm around her and pull her inside the house. I reach the living room, and sit her down on the large couch, and sit next to her. I run my hand along hers and look her in the eyes.

"What happened?" I ask, and fresh tears trail down her face.

"I hung out with my mom today. When I went to pick her up, she had these big sunglasses on her eyes. I didn't think anything of it, until we went inside the store, and she still had them on her face. So I ask her, "Mom. What's the glasses for? Trying to hide from your fans?" and she pushes out a laugh and shakes her head, telling me the lights hurt her eyes. We had gone shopping the other day and she was fine with the lights, so I kept asking her what was really wrong and she kept saying the same thing. I got so upset, that I just ripped them off of her face, and I gasped when I saw what she was hiding."

I move closer to her and run my hands on her back, trying my best to comfort her.

"She had not one, but two black eyes. I don't even know how the fuck she could see out of them because they were almost closed shut. So I turn around and start to walk out of the store, and she grabs my arm and asks me where I'm going, so I say "To kick your husband's ass" and she starts begging me not to go, but I don't listen. I guess she finally gives up, because I get into the car and she gets in with me, and I speed to the hotel she's staying at. I don't even shut the car off, I just get out of my car, and push open the door to find him standing there in his underwear, flipping through the porn channels.

"I walk up to him and I ask him what the fuck he did to my mother, and he ignores me at first, but then I hold out my finger and start to poke him hard in the chest, and I can tell he's getting mad. I see his face start to redden and I'm just waiting for him to do something, ya know. But before he can blow up at me, my mom gets in the way and says, 'it was my fault. I spent too much money on myself and I didn't bring him anything..' and I fucking lost it. I asked her how it was that she's not allowed to spend her own money, yet he's able to spend whatever he gets from the shitty jobs he has and spend her hard earned money. He raised his hand, about to smack me, and I braced myself for it, ready to charge his ass once his hand touched me, but it didn't. I look up and see my mother in between us. I hold my hand out for her and tell her to come with me, I tell her she doesn't have to put up with his shit, and she pushes me. She pushes me and tells me to get the fuck out of the hotel room.

"I ask her what the fuck she's talking about, and tell her once again to come with me, and she doesn't, she tells me to stay the fuck out of her life and never show my face around her again."

She starts to sob harder, and I pull her to me, holding her against my chest, and it feels so right. Like she belongs there. She wipes at her eyes, and finishes her story.

"So I turned around, and walked to the door, but before I opened the door I turned around and told her that if she wants to pick a piece of shit over her own daughter, than I don't want anything to do with her. I told her she could keep being his fucking punching bag, but to never call me again and I turned and left."

"Bella, I'm so sorry." I say as I lay my head against hers, breathing in her scent of strawberry shampoo, and Victoria's secret perfume. I hold her to my chest for over an hour, and even though my leg is cramping up, I don't move. I see past the pain because I'm holding her. He sobs have quieted down, and she isn't sniffling anymore. She moves her head from my chest and looks up at me, smiling through red eyes.

"Edward. Can I ask you something?" she says, and I nod my head as I hold onto her hand.

"Did you really mean what you said? Was it a mistake?" she says, and I take in a large breath and exhale, gearing myself to answer this question. I'm not going to lie to her, after all she's been through today. I can't do that to her.

"No. Bella, to tell you the truth, I thought you weren't aware of what you were doing, because you were pretty drunk, but I wanted it. I wanted you against me, I wanted to feel your body sway with mine, and most of all wanted to feel your lips on mine. I just didn't want you to regret it…" I say, and she shakes her head and brings her hand up to my face.

"I wouldn't have regretted it. I wanted it too, Edward. And I'm not drunk now…" she says and before I can respond to her, she brings her face up to mine and ever so slowly, presses her lips against mine.

My lips immediately start to tingle, and I feel as the warmth from her lips travels right through me, warming every inch of my body and sending shocks through my veins. Her mouth opens a bit, and her tongue darts out into my mouth where it comes into contact with mine, and before I move it, they're moving against one another and my breathing picks up. Bella places her hands on my shoulders and turns her body as she lifts her leg and places her knee onto my couch, pushing herself up along my body until her face is level with mine. She grabs the back of my head, digging her hands into my hair and tilts her head, deepening the kiss as my hands wrap around her back and I pull her body even closer to me.

This feels right. Bella in my arms, her breath mingling with mine, and her hands in my hair… this is what needs to be. We fit perfectly together, as if we were made for one another, and that's something I don't doubt at all.

Then I realize what I'm doing. I'm kissing Bella in my living room, and if we don't stop, this is going to go places where it doesn't need to go… I guess. So I pull back, breaking apart from her lips as she blinks her eyes and tries to focus them on my face.

"What? What happened?" she asks, and I shake my head and I run my hand over my face, trying my best to clear the lust out.

"Bella. We can't do this.. We shouldn't…" I say, but then she places her hands at the side of my face, and pulls my face up to hers.

"I've been wanting this for so long, Edward. Please don't make us stop." she says, and I can see the fire in her eyes. She wants this just as bad as I do. She sucks her lip into her mouth, biting it with her teeth and I lose it. I crash forward against her mouth, breathing her in as our tongues meet once again. My hands wound into her hair as I pull her even closer to me to the point where she is straddling my hips. Her hands are at the back of my neck, lightly digging in with her fingernails, and I feel a growl bubble up in my chest as my need for her grows. She moves her face for a breath, but I can't keep my lips off of her. I move them to her neck, kissing and lightly biting at the skin and enjoying the sounds that are coming from her as she lets me know how I'm making her feel.

"Ungh, Edward. More, please more." she says, and my hands go to the back of her neck where the back of her dress is tied around her neck. I grab a piece of the bow, and slowly loosen it until the bow is loose and the sides fall off of her neck. I tug her top down, and groan when I feel her hardened nipples come into contact with my chest. My mouth goes back to her neck, and then travels down to her collarbone as I kiss and bite my way down. Her hands are at the back of my head, pulling me closer to her, and I know that I don't want this happening in my living room. I take my lips away from her chest, whimpering at not being able to taste her peaks, but telling myself that I will do it soon. I hitch her legs around my lips and rise from the couch as Bella looks down at me with a questioning look on her face.

"Where are we going?" she asks, and I smile as I rush up the stairs.

"To my bed. I want to do this right…" I say, and she smiles and leans down, capturing my lips once again as I reach my bedroom door. I lay her on the bed, keeping my lips on hers as I rub up and down her sides. She spreads her legs, and pushes me towards the space between them and I separate from her and look down at her.

"Bella. If you need to use the bathroom, or get a drink, I suggest you do that now, because once we get started, it will be awhile before you leave this room…"

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***Fans Self* Well, I don't know about you guys, But I could use a cold shower about now... :)**

**Next chapter will be some full on sexin...**

**I don't know what to say about the Lauren situation... but if you have any questions, comments or concerns, hit that little button down there and tell me. **

**See you guys soon!**

**-Ana**


	14. Chapter 14: Sexy Time and Serenades

**This chapter is NSFW! :)**

**Please read my A/N at the bottom for some important news. **

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Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 14: Sexy Time and Serenades

"Bella. If you need to use the bathroom, or get a drink, I suggest you do that now, because once we get started, it will be awhile before you leave this room…"

I think I just fucking creamed my self. The look on his face and the sound of his voice, rough and laced with sex caused these feelings in me. I sucked my lip into my mouth and nodded my head up at him as he smirked and lowered his face to my neck. His lips caused a line of fire to break out as he moves them around my neck. With each kiss, each lick or each bite, I could feel myself getting wetter and wetter until my panties were completely soaked.

I lifted my legs, running them along his legs and up to his waist before clamping them around him and pulling him closer to me as I run my hands through his hair. He moans into my mouth as he presses against the wetness in between my legs, which makes me pull him tighter to me and swivel my hips. He pulls back, and mumbles a quick _fuck _before leaning back down, and kissing down my throat, and down my chest, making a line of kisses in between my bare breasts.

I tug, pull and claw at his head, the sensation of what he's doing to my chest is driving me crazy but I need him to pay attention to my nipples. They're hard and probably poking him on the side of the face.

"Please Edward…. Please." I beg, and turn my torso so that the hardened peak is at his lips. He groans and licks his lips as his eyes meet with my breast and he looks into my eyes and leans closer to me.

"You want my lips there, baby?" he whispers, and I nod my head frantically which makes him smile. "What about my tongue?" again, I nod my head like a madwoman and his smile grows wider as he leans closer to my breasts, which are aching for his attention. His eyes never leave mine as he inches closer to my nipple, and my breath catches as he brings his tongue out and almost touches it.

"Like this baby?" he says, and his warm tongue touches the tip, and I squirm in the bed and hiss out loud.

"You like that?" he says, voice dripping with sex and rawness.

"Fuck yea. Please, more…" I squeak out and he dives back to my breasts, sucking hard and biting lightly as I squirm underneath him. My nipple pops out of his mouth and I feel the coolness as his breath blows out against my wet peak, and I bite back the whimper that almost escapes from my lips. He raises his head, winks at me and goes to the other nipple, doing the same thing as he did to the first one.

He pulls back once he's finished with both breasts, and my mouth has a serious cases of cotton mouth from keeping it open as I made noises. He grabs the top of the dress, situated blow my breasts and he tugs it down my stomach, past my hips and down my legs before throwing it across the room. I sit up as he stands in front of me with his hands on my panties, and I bat his hands away. I look up at him as I run my hands up his chest, and then downwards until I hit the waist of his sweatpants. I hook my fingers into them, and slowly tug the pants, along with his boxers, down his legs until they puddle at his feet. I have to move my head back to avoid getting hit by his one eyed monster… which is just that. A monster.

I swear, this thing is as long as my forearm and probably as thick… and it's the most beautiful cock I've ever seen. And let me tell you, I'm not so fond of cocks… some of them look funny, smell funny… have hair… you know. But this fine specimen in front of me, is magnificent… and it's hair free and smells like sunshine.

"Like what you see?" he asks, and I look up at him and nod my head, and lick my lips. I go to move forward to take him inside my mouth, but he places his hand on my chest and I look up to see him shaking his head.

"This is about you, Bella. All about you." he says and I melt. A man that actually doesn't want to get that done to him? Wants to take care of the woman? Shit, are we still on earth? Is this an alternate universe or something?

I lose my shit, and grab him by the waist and practically throw him onto the bed. His face is a hilarious expression of shock and excitement as I hover over him and place my feet at the sides of his hips on the bed. Our eyes lock as I suck my lip into my mouth and slowly hook my thumbs into my panties and pull them down slowly. I step out of them and hand them to him and he bundles them up and places them in his mouth, causing me to laugh and smack him lightly in the chest.

I lower myself down until I'm sitting in between his chest and his dick, letting him feel my arousal on his skin.

"Do you have any condoms?" I ask him and he nods and points to his nightstand near the bed behind me. I lean back, and grab the handle and pull it open and I gasp when I see what is in there. I smile and reach in, grabbing up my lacy g-string and lifting it out of the drawer and holding it in front of me.

"What are these doing in here?" I ask, and his face blushes and he starts to laugh.

"I found those on my bathroom floor. Thought I'd keep them safe for you." he says with a smirk. I smile and nod my head.

"Good. Keep them safe for me." I say, and turn to place them back into the drawer. I push them to the side and grab a condom, smiling when I see the Magnum XL on the package.

XL he is.

He holds his hands out to me, motioning for me to give him the condom so he can put it on, but I shake my head. I learned this trick long time ago, and I've never found someone to actually try it on. I tear the wrapper to the condom, and remove it and grab the tip of it in my lips. My eyes stay on his as I lower my head down to his waiting cock, and cover the tip of him with the condom and my mouth. I lower myself down on his length, pulling the condom down him as far as I can go. I pull it the rest of the way with my hands, and Edward moans and throws his head back.

"Are you ready?" I ask him once I roll the condom down to the base of him and he sucks his lip into his mouth, and nods. His eyes are on me, glazed with need and lust as I hover my center over his waiting erection. Our eyes meet as I steady him with on hand and place the other on his chest before sinking down onto him slowly. I hold my breath as he fills me, focusing on the feeling of being stretched for him. His breathing hitches and he whispers _fuck _as I continue to lower myself onto him.

We both gasp as our pelvises meet, and his back leaves the bed as he wraps him arms around me, pulling our chests together and pressing our foreheads. I bury my hands into his hair, gripping on for dear life as he slowly starts to rock his hips up against me. His finger dig into my back as he holds me tight, moving one hand to the middle of my back and moving the other up to the back of my neck.

"Shit Bella. You're…. so fucking… tight." he says, in between thrusts. I moan out loud in response, and he uses his hand at the back of my neck to pull my face to his, crashing our lips together. I start to meet his thrusts, feeling him plunge deeper inside of me and whimpering against his lips as I feel his mouth turn up.

"You…like…that?" he asks with each thrust, and I can't find the words to tell him how amazing he feels, so I just nod frantically, causing him to chuckle.

"Tell me what you want, Bella." his velvety voice says between kisses, and just the sound of it makes this even more pleasurable to me, if that's possible. I don't answer and he smirks down at me and then suddenly, his hips leave the bed and he plunges into me deeper thank before and I yell out a string of curses.

I think he just hit a lung.

"Tell me, Bella. How do you want it?" he says, but still find myself tongue tied. He repeats the deep thrust, and I let out a loud _Shit_ as my eyes roll to the back of my head and a fresh wave of pleasure courses through me.

"Fuck. Hard, Edward. I want it hard." I gasp out, and I barely finish the last letter before he plunges into me hard again. I feel my body turn to jell-o and my limbs become useless in holding me up as I feel the warmth of my impending orgasm begin to creep up. Edward, sensing my lack of control over my body, quickly flips us over, never pulling out of me, and continues to thrust hard into me.

"Edward… I.. Oh shit…" I whimper out as my orgasm hits me. White stars shoot off behind my closed eyelids as the wave hits me, and my body pulsates, inside and out, as he continues. I can feel my walls contracting around his hardness, and within a minute of finding my release, his breathing starts to shallow as he moans my name.

"Oh shit, Bella. I want you to come again. Come with me." he grunts out as he reaches a hand in between our bodies, finding my bundle of nerves and rubbing furiously as I feel the heat start to burn once again.

I go over the edge again, screaming his name as he reaches his, spilling into the condom as his mouth meets mine again, silencing my screams.

His thrusting slows as we both come down from our highs, and I run my hands down his back as he places soft kisses on my lips and jaw.

"That was…." he starts.

"Amazing." I groan out, finishing his sentence and he chuckles against my neck, sending chills down my spine.

"I could sleep for days now, you wore me out so good." I say, feeling my eyes begin to shut. I feel Edward lift his chest from mine, and I open my eyes to see him smirking down at me.

"Bella. That was only the beginning…."

Oh yes….

My eyes are barely able to stay open as I look over to the clock on Edward's nightstand. It's a little after 6 am and Edward and I have been up all night.

But it's a good kind of up all night, not like a 'up all night studying' or 'up all night because I saw a bug, but it disappeared behind my bed'.

This was 'up all night sexin' with Edward' and I wouldn't mind doing this every night for the rest of my life.

Too soon for that? I'll settle for every night for the next couple of years…

My cheek is against Edward's warm chest, fingers tracing the muscles of his pecs as I place kisses in random spots. He looks down at me with a smile on his face.

"We are going to be dead on our feet today at work." he says, and I smile and nod against his chest as his hand comes up from under the sheets and pushes back the stray hairs falling into my face.

"I don't mind it at all. Do you?" I ask and he shakes his head, and brings his hands under my arms, pulling me up his chest and tucking me to his side as his lips meet mine.

Edward's lips are amazing. So soft, and warm and his breath is like running through a candy cane forest on Christmas day…

The light starts to filter in through his window as the sun begins to rise over the horizon. I watch in silence as the light flickers in, dancing across his skin. I trace the patterns on his chest, smiling as he lets out little moans of content before leaning down and kissing him. I bring my face down to his when something from the corner of the room catches my eye.

"You play the guitar?" I ask. Sitting in the corner of his room is an acoustic guitar, in prefect condition. There's also no dust on it, so I know he must play it often, or at least cleans it every once in a while.

"Uh. Yea. I've been playing since I was 8." she says nervously as he glances from the guitar to me. He runs his hands through his glorious sex hair, and I can't help but smirk, knowing that I'm the reason for the condition his hair is in.

"Are you any good?" I ask, smiling over at him. He looks up and chuckles at me, showing his perfect mouth that has just been all over me, and I feel goose bumps rise on my exposed flesh.

"Yea. I think so anyway." he says, reaching over to run his fingers along my arm, smiling as the goose bumps get worse. I pull my arm away and smack him in the center of his chest.

"Play something for me." I say, and he looks at me and shakes his head, starting to make excuses. "Please. Just one." I say, jutting my bottom lip out and widening my arms, giving him my sad puppy look. He huffs and then smiles before leaning over and gently kissing my lips.

"Fine. Just one." he says. I sit up, tucking the sheets around me as he gets out of the bed. I can't help but glue my eyes to his amazing ass. Seriously, if I had an ass like that I'd have a cast of it made, and display it in my living room. Maybe even make it the centerpiece at dinners….

He grabs the guitar, and walks back to the bed, sitting next to me and placing the guitar in front of him.

"What do you want to hear?" he asks, and I shrug my shoulders. His eyebrows furrow as he thinks of what to play for me. "Got it." he says, and then settles the guitar in his lap. He lightly starts to tap on the guitar, as he counts out loud. Then he starts to sing, and I don't know whether to laugh at the song he's chosen, because if you've seen SNL, you know where this song is from, or whether to loose my shit, because this man can't be human with a voice like that.

_Hold on little girl, Show me what he's done to you_

_Stand up little girl, a broken heart can't be that bad_

_When it's through, it's through, fate will twist the both of you_

_So come on baby, come on over, let me be the one to show you_

He taps the side of the guitar for the beat as she strums the chords as he sings the chorus.

_I'm the one who wants to be with you_

_Deep inside I hope you feel it too_

_Waited on the lines of green and blue_

_Just to be the next to be with you_

I smile as his eyes meet mine and he continues to sing the song. He sings and plays perfectly, and I can feel a burning inside of me. He was sexy before, but the way he looks in front of a guitar, and the way he plays said guitar…. It should be illegal.

_Why be alone, when we can be together baby_

_You can make my life worthwhile_

_I can make you start to smile_

He sings the rest of the song, even hitting the high note at the end, which makes me laugh as he chuckles and lays the guitar back down on the ground against the bed. The bed dips down as he takes a seat back on it. I shimmy over to him, letting him wrap his arm around me.

"That was great." I tell him, and he chuckles, showing off his amazing grin.

"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. I'll have to serenade you more often." he says, showing that panty dropping smile once more, and I swear, if I wasn't already naked, I would want to be after seeing and hearing that.

"I'll, uh. I'll have to take you up on that." I say, and he starts to laugh.

"C'mon. Lets shower and then I'll make you some food." I nod my head as he stands up, standing in front of me in all his glory, and holding his hand out for me. I take it, smiling up at him as he pulls me from the bed and up against his chest. I tuck my lip in between my teeth as I look up at him, feeling the warmth and tingly feeling that his presence causes in me.

In one quick motion, he leans down bringing one arm to my back and the other behind my knee as he swoops me up and carries me bridal style into the bathroom.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

After our shower, Edward gives me some clothes to wear, and we headed downstairs where he made me pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs, which were delicious.

I didn't want to leave, but I knew he had to go into work, as did I, so after breakfast, he walked me out to my car, opening the door for me and giving me a sweet kiss on the lips. As I drove home, snippets of last night played through my mind and I couldn't fight the smile that spread on my face.

It was amazing. He was amazing.

But where do we go from here?

I get into my apartment complex and park my car, then I walk up to the door, and before I can even stick my key in the lock, the door swings open and I'm met by the worried faces of my friends.

"Bella? What the fuck?" says Rosalie

"We've been waiting for you all night? We thought something happened to you." Alice says. I notice they're still in jeans and t shirts, not at all dressed for work today and I know they weren't going in until they heard from me.

"Guys. I'm fine." I say as I walk in the door and over to the fridge. The front door slams shut and I look up to see Alice and Rose standing there with their hands on their hips and pissed off looks on their faces.

"Bella! You called us like 5 times, and then when we tried to call you back, you didn't answer! We were worried as shit about you.. Where the hell have you been? Wait…. Are those your clothes?" Alice rambles on, pointing at me when she notices I'm wearing men's clothing. I scoff and shake my head as I grab a water and unscrew the cap, bringing the bottle up to my lips and taking a sip.

"Ok. So, yes, I called you guys 5 times.. I'll tell you the reason fro that in a minute, but I'm ok now. When you guys didn't answer, I uh. I called Edward and I went to his house…. I was hysterical and he comforted me… and um.. I stayed in his house last night." I say, watching my fingers as I brought the cap back up to the bottle and screwed it back on. I look up slowly, and the look on their faces is priceless. Both of them look worried, as if they want to know what happened that had me hysterical, but the emotion I could see most on their faces, are looks of surprise.

"Wai.. I mean, Bella? You spent the night at Edwards?" She asks, and I slowly nod, and can't seem to fight back the grin as it spreads across my face. Alice and Rose turn their heads to look at one another, and then turn their heads back to me and let out the loudest shrieks I've ever heard from them. And I've heard a lot. The both grab on of my arms, and pull me out of the kitchen and into the living room, plopping me down on the sofa as they sit at either side of me, and the interrogation begins.

"What did you do?"

"How was it?"

"Was he big?"

"Was it hot?"

I chuckle as I shake my head and take in their questions. I hold my hands up in front of me, still laughing and look at both of them as I answer their questions.

"I think you know what we did. It was amazing. He was huge. And it was on fire." they shriek out once again and I join in with them this time.

After a couple minutes of screaming, we all stop and Alice and Rose rise from the sofa, smoothing out their wrinkled shirts and running their hands through their hair.

"Well, since you're fine and all, I think we need to head into work." Alice says, looking over to Rose who nods in agreement.

"We'll see you later, Bells. We expect a full play by play of the night when we get home." Rose says, and I laugh and tell her ok as they walk out of the living room and into their bedrooms.

I throw myself back on the couch, sinking my back into the cushions as I look up at the ceiling with what must be the stupidest look on my face.

Last night was amazing. If our bodies had been instruments, Edward and I would have made music… and not some crappy music either.. I'm talking life changing music. Grammy winning music.

But only one question remains.

Where do we go from here?

* * *

**:)**

**Ok, so... did you guys like it? I'm always kind of nervous writing lemons, so... yea. : /**

**Anyways. So, today we close on our house, and tommorrow we move.. YAY! So, what does that mean? It means that I will be away from my computer for a bit and it'll probably be atleast a week before your next update. However, seeing how this chapter was a little short, the next one will be massive... Scouts honor! :) **

**Thanks to all of you! My weekly reviewers: You guys rock and I love you all! If you read and haven't reviewed... why not? :)**

**See you guys soon!**

**-Ana**


	15. Chapter 15: Dreams Do Come True

**There's Sexin in this chapter... Whoohoo! :)**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 15: Dreams Do Come True

I get up eventually from the couch, walk into my room and pull out a pair of jean shorts and a tank top and pulling on a t-shirt over it. I slip into some flip flops and grab my bag from the kitchen and make my way out to my car and to the job. I take my time getting to work, and spend the time thinking about how I act. I mean, I just fucked my boss… do I act the same? Do I treat him differently? Why do they not have a guide on this?

I finally get to the job, and stay in my car for a minute, trying my best to control my breathing.

_Bella. You will go in there and you will act the same towards him as you always do. You will be cordial and polite, and then you'll work, because, damnit, you work for the money… _I step out of my car, head held high from my little inner pep talk with myself, and stroll up to the front door.

As I stepped into the shop, I saw Angela sitting behind the counter, nose buried in a magazine.

"Hey." I say, her head shoots up and she gives me a smile, shaking the bangs out of her face.

"Hey. What's up?" she says, looking over at me. I shrug off my bag, and shake my head.

"Not much." I tell her, and have to fight to keep the smirk off of my face. If only she knew what's been up with me.

Or better yet, what's been up in me….

I smile as I walk past her, and into the backroom to put my shit away. I reach for the knob and twist it, pushing the door open and that's when I see him. Edward is sitting at the desk in the backroom, head in his hands and I can see his fingers working tiny little circles into his forehead and his eyes closed.

"Hi." I say, giving him a small smile. He raises his head, and his eyes meet mine and I start to feel faint as I see the fire in his eyes start to blaze. I suck my bottom lip into my mouth and slowly start to nibble on it as my eyes stay on his.

"Hi." he says, then stands up from his chair, pushing the seat back and faces me. His arms hang loosely at his sides and my eyes pour over him, taking in the muscles in them. The very muscles that held me up against the wall as he took me. Then I look to his hands; the hands that traveled all over me, from head to toe, the hands that left fire burning in their tracks as he ran them over my body. Finally, my eyes land on his lips, and my tongue darts out to lick my lips as I remember the amazing things he did with that mouth. He tasted every inch of my skin with that mouth. He placed warm, loving kisses all over me with that mouth…

And he devoured me with that mouth.

I've been with a lot of men… Wait… I don't mean that in a slutty way. I mean… Shit. Let me try that again.

I've had fun with a couple of men… and none of them ever has made me feel the way Edward did last night. No man has ever brought me to the level of pleasure that he did… and no man ever will.

I watch in silence as he moves closer to me. I can feel my body start to react to him, calling him home and it seems like he hears it. He gets closer, and as he raises his hand to touch my face, Angela's voice rings out from the front desk.

"Edward! There's a phone call for you!" she says, and he huffs, dropping his hand and shaking his head.

"I better get that." he says, mouth in a frown. I force a smile on my face and nod him off, and watch him walk past me and out into the shop to get the phone. I walk to the desk, placing my bag on the top and taking a deep breath and walking back into the shop. Angela is in the shop placing new DVD's on the shelves and Edward is at the counter, head in his hands once again as he speaks into the phone. I furrow my brows as I watch him, wondering who he is talking to that would upset him like that. His hand is gripping the phone hard, knuckles white and looking as if they are about to burst from the hold he has on it. His other hand is tugging on his hair, and at that moment I'd give anything to have it be my hand traveled through his glorious hair. He's speaking softly into the phone, but as I get nearer I can hear the anger in his voice, so I decide to go help Angela with the movies.

"Hey. Need some help?" I ask her when I reach her in the movie section. She looks up from her box of movies and slowly smiles as she nods her head.

"yea. Thanks" she says, handing me a stack of DVD's which I begin to place in their spots.

"So. What's going on with you two?" she asks after a while, and I look up at her to see her smirking and nodding over to Edward. I feel the heat rise in my face but try my best to keep the smile off of my face.

"I don't know what you're talking about.." I say, bringing my face back down to the stack of movies in my hand. I hear her chuckle beside me, but I refuse to look up, knowing that if I do my face will show her everything she needs to know.

"Hmm. That's funny, cause I saw how you guys were when you came in… and if I had to guess, I'd say things were going good with you guys." she says, and again I have to fight to keep the smile off of my face.

"Hmm. I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." I say, and go to place my last DVD on the shelf. She laughs out louder this time and smiles at me.

"Really? Then how come you look like you've been thoroughly fucked…." I freeze in my spot, mouth open and pivot the top half of my body to look at her. Her face is practically beaming with the smile on her face and she starts to giggle.

"Ho- How did you k-know?" I stutter out, positive that maybe Edward said something to her. She shakes her head, and turns away from me, reaching into the box and picking out another movie to put on the shelf.

"I didn't. But that mark on your neck pretty much paints the picture for me…." she says and my hands fly to my throat. I rush over to the mirror on the wall and turn my head, seeing the large purple/blue mark on my skin. The mark that he left on me…

"So…" Angela starts from behind me. I hadn't even heard her walk up so I jump slightly from the surprise, but she keeps talking. "How was it?" she asks, and I smile at my reflection in the mirror, holding my hand up to his mark on my skin and I tuck my lip into my mouth.

"It was…. Amazing." I say, and she chuckles as she reaches her arm out and lightly nudges me on the shoulder.

"I told you…" she says, before winking and walking away. I turn my head to look back at her and smile, shaking my head. She did tell me. She told me to tell Edward how I felt, that he might feel the same way and I didn't believe her…

I might have to start listening to Angela more often.

I take my hair out of the high pony tail it's in, and let the waves hang loosely around my face, fully concealing the mark. I smile as I walk back to the counter where Edward no longer is on the phone, and I stand behind it and pull out my cell phone to surf the internet a bit.

I hear the back door swing open and see Edward standing there, keys in hand and hair messy from his hand being buried in it. His eyes meet mine for the briefest of moments before he darts them to Angela.

"I have to go somewhere. I'll be back in a little bit." he says. She nods and he looks over to me quickly, waiting for me to nod and when I do, he nods in return and disappears through the door faster than you can say 'rejection'.

"I wonder what's up with him." Angela says, and I watch from the window as he gets into his car, starts it quickly and speeds off down the road.

"Yea. Me too"

IOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

"No sir. I'm sorry, but we don't have that product here." I say to the man still at my counter. I don't know how many times I've had to repeat myself to this motherfucker…

"Are you sure? I mean, I've seen it before…." I slam my hand on the counter, cutting him off as I lean in towards him.

"Listen. For the fucking eightieth time. We do not have any fucking blow-up sheep here. That's fucking sick… I mean, we are a porn shop, but we don't have that type of shit here…. Why the fuck would you even want to fuck a fake sheep anyways.. That's just disgusting…" I say, and he cowers back from me, tucking his hands into his pockets before running out of the shop.

I was fucking annoyed….

Usually I wouldn't take my frustrations out on the customers, but I just couldn't handle myself right now.

Edward had left long time ago, telling Angela and I that he'd be back in a bit. It's been 6 hours and he hasn't come back yet. Angela's shift ended an hour ago so I sent her home. So it's just me, alone, in this damn shop with all the creepy motherfuckers coming in, asking for fucking blow-up sheep or other strange things.

I couldn't take it. I walk to the front door, pulling the shade down and turning the sign from "Open" to "Closed" and I start to clean up the shop. I really don't give a shit if I get in trouble for doing this. I'm in a mood and I couldn't care less what happens right now.

I walk over to the radio under the register, and turn it on, smiling when I hear that one of my favorites songs just started and immediately, I turn it up and start to sing along.

_If I could write you a song to make you fall in love_

_I would already have you up under my arm._

_I used up all of my tricks,_

_I hope that you like this._

_but you probably won't,_

_you think you're cooler than me._

I start to sway my hips to the beat.

_you got designer shades,_

_just to hide your face and _

_you wear them around like _

_you're cooler than me._

_and you never say hey,_

_or remember my name._

_its probably cuz, _

_you think you're cooler than me_

The beat starts, and I start to jump around, shaking my hair around in front of me and moving to the beat. I grab the hem of my shirt, puling it up and over my head, leaving my shorts and tank top on as I toss the shirt behind the counter.

_you got your hot crowd,_

_shoes on your feet,_

_and you wear them around,_

_like they ain't shit._

_but you don't know,_

_the way that you look,_

_when your steps _

_make _

_that _

_much _

_noise._

I giggle, and continue on singing the song, swaying my hips and flinging my hair around as I start the vacuum. I'm dancing with the vacuum as I push it around the room, eyes closed and just feeling the beat and singing along when finally the song ends and I shut the vacuum off, and walk over to the radio to find another song.

That's when I look over to the door and see Edward standing there…

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

EPOV

I didn't even hear Bella come in. I was so stuck in my own little world, stressing about everything going on in my life that I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings. But when I heard her say hi, I snapped my head up to meet hers and I can't fight the feelings that start to course through me.

Last night was amazing. She was amazing. And as much as I feel like I need to tell her what's going on in my life, as much as I want to warn her not to get too mixed up with me… I can't. Even though I've only known her for a short while, it feels as though I've known her forever and I don't want to let her go.

As selfish as it sounds, I won't let her go.

I tell her Hi back and go to move towards her, only to be interrupted when Angela calls me from the front and tells me I have a phone call. I excuse myself, and walk to the front to get the call, and immediately regret doing so.

"Hello?" I say into the phone.

"Hi, _Daddy." _Lauren says, and the feeling of warmth and lust I felt before with Bella is replaced by repulsion and anger.

"What the fuck do you want, Lauren?" I seethe into the phone, making sure to keep my voice down.

"Now is that anyway to talk to the mother of your child? You told me to let you know when I have a doctor's appointment, and I'm calling to let you know I have an appointment in an hour."

I growl out in frustration, and tug at my hair once again.

"Fine. Where is it at?" I ask her, and I hear her annoying laugh before she takes a breath and begins to talk again.

"Can you come get me? I mean, I really don't feel like driving right now."

"Fine. I'll be right there." I say, and then hang up, keeping my head down with my fists in my hair. I can't believe I'm in this position.

I push off of the desk and walk to the back room, grabbing my keys and walking back into the store to where Angela and Bella are putting movies away. I glance over at Bella, but can't stand to look at her, knowing that once she finds out about this, I'm going to lose her. I tell them I have to go somewhere and after another quick look at her, I turn and leave.

I get in my car and drive to Lauren's parent's house. They live about 15 minutes from the shop, so I punch it to make it in time, breaking the speed limit the whole way there, and making it in just under 10 minutes. I pull into the driveway, and beep the horn. Lauren comes out a couple of seconds later, wearing a loosely fitted white shirt, and some of those 'pink' sweat pants and some sneakers. Her hair is piled on top of her head and her face looks tired. She gets into the car, and smiles up at me but I keep the scowl on my face.

"WHat's wrong with you?" I ask her, and she looks over at me, giving me the death glare before turning her head back to look out of the window.

"I'm pregnant. I'm sick all of the damn time, my clothes don't fit, I can't eat, all I wanna do is sleep… what the fuck do you think?" she says, and I grip onto the steering wheel to keep from lashing out at her. A part of me feels really bad. Lauren is not the type of person to leave the house in a pair of sweat pants without a stitch of makeup on her face, so I know that she truly must feel bad.

"I'm sorry." I say, after taking a deep breath and pulling out of her driveway. "So, where are we going?" I ask her, and she tells me the directions to get to her doctor's office. We get there, and Lauren and I walk into the building, and she walks to the front desk while I take a seat in the waiting room.

"Lauren Mallory. I have an appointment with Doctor Marcus at 2." she tells the lady behind the desk, who nods and tells her to take a seat. Lauren sits in the chair across from me, picks up one of those baby magazine's and begins flipping through it.

I sit back in my chair, looking around the room. There's a couple across from me, sitting close together. The man has his hand resting on the woman's swollen belly, smiling up at her as he rubs small circles over his child. They look so happy, so grateful to be here, and to be bringing a baby into the world.

"Lauren?" the nurse says from a door in the hallway. She gets up, putting the magazine down and stands up to walk to the doorway and then turns around, motioning for me to join her, so I stand up from my chair, and follow them through the door.

"How are you feeling today, hun?" the nurse asks

"Ok, I guess." she says, with a half smile as the nurse walks her to a scale. Lauren steps on, and the nurse taps the top, weighing her in and then jots the number down in her notebook.

"Wow, hun. You're only, what, 2 and a half months and you've already gained 10 pounds." I look to Lauren and see she has a frown on her face. The nurse walks us back into a room with a exam table in it and a little ultrasound machine.

"Take off your bottoms, and hop on the table. Dr. Marcus will be with you in a bit." she says, before disappearing through the door. Lauren stands up, pulling her pants down and laying back on the table, covering herself with the paper she was given and we wait, in silence for the doctor to come.

A couple of minutes later, the door swings open and in comes a tall man with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hello, Lauren. How are you feeling today?" he asks her and she gives him a small smile before telling him "ok". he looks over to me, and smiles.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Alec Marcus, nice to meet you. You must be daddy?" he says, and I feel myself shudder before reaching my hand out to him. Lauren sees this, and I see her shaking her head before speaking out.

"He, um, doesn't believe he's the father." she says, and the Doctor looks from me to her before taking his seat in a rolling stool and clutching Lauren's file in his hands.

"We could find out if you'd like, Mr….." he says, looking at me.

"Cullen," I say, looking at him. "I want to know, but I don't want to do anything to harm the baby." I say to him, and he nods, smiling.

"Well, seeing how Lauren is in her 10th week of pregnancy, there is a procedure called CVS, or Chorionic Villi Sampling. What we'll do is take a small sample from the placenta, along with blood samples from both of you and we can determine paternity that way." he says.

"How will you get the sample from the placenta?" I ask

"We can do it through the abdominal wall, or we can do it transcervically, meaning through the vagina." he says, interlacing his fingers in front of him. I look over at Lauren, and find her looking at me. I silently ask her what she wants and she shrugs her shoulders.

"Um. I guess we can try it." I say, and Dr. Marcus tell us to make an appointment for next week to have it done and then goes on with Lauren's check up.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

We leave the doctors around an hour later, and we have an appointment for next Monday to have the test done. Lauren and I are silent as we walk back to my car. We each get in our seats, and I start the car and start to drive. I look over at Lauren and as much as I dislike her, I can't seem to find it in me to be rude to her, especially after she agreed to have the paternity test done.

"Hey. I know you said that your clothes don't fit, so maybe you'd like to go and buy some new things." I ask, and she turns her head to face me and smiles quickly, but then the smile leaves her face and she drops her head.

"I don't have any money, Edward."

"I'll pay for it, Ok?" I say, and she looks up at me, and I can see she has tears in her eyes as she nods her head.

"ok" she says softly, and I smile at her in return and drive off towards the mall.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIOI

A couple hours and a couple hundred dollars later, I drop Lauren back off at home. I didn't even realize the time until I got back into the car, but it felt good doing something nice for Lauren. I got her a couple of things to last her a while, and took her out to eat. As much as I know it was the right thing to do, I can't help but feel guilty that I'm keeping this from Bella. But, now that we have an appointment for the paternity test, I know I'll just have to wait until I get the results. And if the baby is not mine, then I won't have to tell her anything.

If it is mine, then I can kiss her goodbye.

I speed back to the shop, dodging cars going to slow for me, and pushing the car way past the speed limit in a effort to get back to work quickly.

I finally make it there, and I run out of the car and up to the door and that's when I see the sign. I reach in my pocket for the key, and unlock the door and make my way inside when I hear music playing as the vacuum is going and I hear Bella singing. I smile, and push through the door, standing in the doorway and looking around the shop until my eyes land on her.

And I fucking harden immediately.

Just like in my fucking dream, Bella is standing there in short shorts, and a tank top. She's pushing the vacuum around the room, and shaking her hips and singing along with the radio and she looks so fucking hot, I have to reach in front of me and adjust the tent in front of my pants.

I lick my lips and continue to watch as she dances around, her hair flying around her head, and when the song stops, she shuts the vacuum off and turns to go back to the radio when she spots me watching her and freezes in her spot.

"Uh. How long have you been standing there?" she asks, and I smirk at her and slowly start to walk towards her.

"A while." I say as I near her, she takes a large gulp and step back a bit until her back hit's the counter.

"Wh-where have you been?" she asks and I reach her and place my arms on the counter on either side of her, pulling my body up against hers.

"Fuck. You looked hot dancing around like that…." I say, and lean my head down to her neck and dart my tongue out to taste her skin. She lets out a loud moan and her hand shoots up to grab the back of my head, pulling me closer. I lap my tongue from the base of her neck to her ear, and then suck her lobe into my mouth, gently biting on it as she squirmed beneath me.

"Ugnh. Edward…" she groaned, and I smiled against her skin, before bringing my hands down to cup her ass, and lifting her onto the counter. I spread her legs with my hand, and settle into the space between them, and grab the back of her head to bring her lips roughly to mine. I let out a moan into her mouth as our tongues move together, her hands are in my hair, pulling me to her harder, as one of mine is still on her head, and the other is trailing up and down her back underneath her tank top.

I push my self up against her, moaning at the friction I feel against my hardness as it pushes against her heat, and I can't wait anymore. I pull back from her, and immediately lay her back on the counter, and get to work on the button on her shorts. I pull the zipper down, and reach up to the waist as she lifts up and I pull them off of her, along with her panties, in one swift motion. I toss them to the side, and she lifts her back off of the counter, and immediately her hands go to my pants. She unbuttons and unzips them and tugs them down as far as she can, before our lips meet once again. I separate just for a moment, to take off my shirt and toss it to the floor, as she pushes my pants the rest of the way down with her feet. Once they puddle at my feet, I kick them off, and then move back to her. She quickly grabs my cock in her hands, slowly running her hand from base to head and scooting herself to the end of the counter. Our eyes meet as she sucks her lip into her mouth and brings me to her entrance, slowly nodding to let me know to go.

I push into her softly, and both of us moan from the sensation of becoming one. Our pelvises meet, and I stay there for a second, looking into her deep brown eyes before leaning down and capturing her lips once again. Her hands move to my waist and I lean down, resting my hands on the counter as I slowly pull out almost all the way, and thrust back in.

"Mmm Edward. Yes.." she moans against my lips as I continue moving inside of her. Her legs dig into the back of my thighs, pulling me towards her at the pace she wants, and I quicken a bit, adding a little swivel to my hips which has her screaming my name in no time.

"Edward! Fuck! Yes!" she screams as I quicken the pace even more. Her nails dig into my back and I can see a sheen of sweat coat her body where she isn't covered by her tank top. I lean forward even more, grabbing the strap of her tank top and gently pulling it down, off of her shoulder and down her arm, revealing her perfect breasts to me. I smile up at her before moving to her breast, and darting my tongue out to swirl around her pink peak.

"Ugnh, Edward! I'm so close…" she says, and I suck it into my mouth, and start to nibble on it.

"Fuck, Bella. You taste so good," I tell her and I can feel her insides start to quiver.

"Ugh. Edward. Shit!" she screams as her walls camp around me. Her insides pulse around me, and I continue my movements for a couple more seconds before my orgasm takes over.

"Ugh, Bella." I say as I spill into her, filling her completely. I still after I've finished, and I lean forward and our lips meet once again, this time, it's soft and loving. I take my time, kissing her slowly and trailing my hands up and down her sides as her hands roam my back and my neck.

If I could pick a moment to pause and keep that way for the rest of my life, it would be this one right now. Me still inside of her, kissing her, feeling her hands on me. It's like nothing in this world.

But to think that this can all be taken away from me, because of one drunken night of stupidity, is just too much to bear.

"Wow. Edward. That was…" she says, her face a vision of pure contentment and satisfaction.

"Amazing." I finish for her. "You are amazing, Bella." I say, and she smiles and raises her head to meet my lips.

IOIOIOIOIOIIOIOIOIOI

"So. Uh, do you want to spend the night at my place?" I ask her, and she quickly nods

"I mean. If that's ok with you?" She says, and I chuckle and throw my arm around her shoulders, pulling her to me as I kiss her forehead.

We got dressed after maybe an hour of laying with one another, kissing and touching, and continued to clean the place up. I didn't want to leave Bella, so I knew I needed to ask her to spend the night at my place once again.

After she said yes, we walked out of the shop, making sure to close everything up and I walked her to her car.

"Let me go home and pick up some things so we don't have to rush in the morning to get me home, and I'll meet you there, Ok?" she says, and I nod and kiss her lips as she pushed up on her tip toes to meet mine. I wait until she gets into her car and drives away before I get into my car, and drive home.

I know I haven't known Bella for that long, but the connection we have is incomparable. I feel something different when I'm with her that I've never felt for anyone before, and although it scares me a little bit, I want to explore it more.

Because I think I'm falling in love with her…

I can only hope that no matter what happens, she can say the same about me and can mean it, because when she finds out about Lauren…. I might lose her.

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm coming to you live, from my new living room! It's been a crazy week, and I hadn't been able to get in front of the computer until last night, but I just HAD to crank one out and post it for you guys. So, hope you enjoyed the sexin'... just like in Edward's dream a couple chapters back, thus the chapter name "Dreams Do Come True"**

**I already started working on the next chapter, and it should be up soon. **

**See ya soon!**

**Ana**

**PS: The song in this chapter, is "Cooler than me" by Mike Posner. Love it!**


	16. Chapter 16: The Wedding

**NSFW! NSFW! **

**Oh, and I don't Own Twilight! but I do own this story...**

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 16: The Wedding

The past couple of days with Edward have been amazing. I've spent the night every night at his place since our little adventure on the checkout counter at the shop. Every night, before I fall asleep, Edward and I make love, and I wake up in his arms, only to do it once again. I can never get my fill on him. When I'm not with him, I'm wishing I was, and when I am with him, I never want to leave.

And it's scaring me.

I've never felt this way about a man before. The only time I felt something like this, I got my heart broken, and I couldn't bear to have that happen again.

Jacob was my boyfriend in high school. We dated my Junior year up until my senior year, and I thought he was perfect. He was tall, muscular, with jet black hair down to his shoulders, and the darkest brown eyes that would make me feel like he was staring into my soul. His skin was russet colored and beautiful, and when I was in his arms, I felt like nothing could ever harm me. He protected me from the outside dangers…

But I never thought he would be the one to hurt me.

I can still remember the pain I felt when I walked into his house, and into his room, finding him in there, accompanied by his so-called best friend, Dawn.

I didn't give him time to explain, I mean, why would I need to? I found him, red handed, with her in the bed I lost my virginity to him in, and you think I'm going to give him time to explain himself?

Nope. Not me.

I walked further in to the room, and smacked him clear across the face, before turning and walking out. It hurt seeing him around school after that, with her, but thankfully, there was only a couple of weeks left. He did try talking to me, but I didn't have time for it. I changed my number, ignored him at school and after we graduated, I left with Alice and Rose to Seattle and started going to school.

He was my first love, and the other part of the reason I didn't believe in love… and now here I was, about to go through that hole again.

"Good morning." I hear him say, squeezing his arms around me tighter, and pulling my back against his chest. I smile, closing my eyes and let out a low sigh as I nuzzle into his chest.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" I ask him and he chuckles as his face nuzzles into my neck.

"I always sleep well when you're here." I smile, and open my eyes, push away from him and turn to face him. I scoot closer to him, placing my hand on his hip and moving my face to his. I close my eyes as my lips near his, kissing him gently on the mouth.

"I'm going to miss you at work today." he says, and I let out a huge breath. I wasn't going into work today because it's Friday, the Friday before Rose's wedding, and I had a lot to do before her bachelorette party tonight.

"You'll be ok. You'll see me tomorrow…" I say. I had asked Edward to be my date for the wedding, and he said yes. Tony and Angela were going to run the shop on Saturday while him and I were in the wedding. We figured it would be a good practice for them, seeing how they're going to be running it next week when we go to Orlando.

"Ok," he says, kissing my nose. "Just, be good."

"I always am."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

After a little morning delight, Edward had to leave for work, and I had to go and get things ready for tomorrow. I throw on a plaid button up shirt and a pair of jeans and a pair of flats, and make my way to the first place on my list.

I made reservations for us at the Maxwell hotel. It's pretty new, and amazingly beautiful inside, so I figured it would be the best place to sleep in after our crazy night. I then went to 'Centerfolds' to, um 'order' some male entertainment… I didn't want to sit in a foggy club where you can't even drink, so I just hired them to come to the hotel room. I made sure to be very specific… you know, Tall, muscular, tan and at least 1 firefighter, because that shit is hot.

The hotel takes care of limo's and stuff like that, so I only had to go and buy the party stuff. You know, like the penis straws for our drinks, embarrassing shit like that. I had already ordered our shirts, and I know the girls are going to love them…

An hour later, I run out of the store, bags in hand and throw everything in my car. It's just after 5, and I need to get home and shower and get ready for a crazy, long night.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIO

"Bella! Oh My god, this shirt is hilarious!" Alice says, holding up the shirts I bought for the bridal party. The shirt's for me and the bridesmaids say "Bride's Bitches" in pink, and as Alice holds hers up, all of us crack up.

"Wait until you see Rose's" I say, and as if she heard us, she comes walking out of the room, wearing short jeans shorts and flip flops and her shirt that says "Bachlorette party. Stealing his heart and then his wallet" which causes us all to double over in laughter.

"That is too funny! Bella? Where the hell do you find these shirts?" Rose's friend from work, Tina, asks.

"On the internet." I say, taking a sip of my cocktail. I'm already feeling kind of buzzed, and I'm thankful I won't need to drive tonight.

"Well, shit! Are we just gonna stand around here, and chit chat like a bunch of silly bitches, or are we gonna go and get fucked up?" Rose asks, standing on top of the sofa in the room.

All of the girls let out a 'whoo' and we raise our glasses, and then chug them before leaving the room and walking down to the lobby and out onto the street. We make our way into a bar around the corner, and begin pounding down drinks and dancing to the music playing inside.

"I'm getting married! Are you fuckers going to buy me a drink or what?" Rose yells as she stands on top of the bar. The crowd in the bar begins to cheer and soon start sending shots her way, which us girls have to intervene and drink some of them in order to not let her get too messed up.

An hour later, we make our way back to our hotel room, just in time for there to be a knock on the door. Alice jumps up and walks to the door, pulls it open and gasps loudly when she sees the huge hunk of man meat waiting on the other side of the door.

"We've had some noise complaints in here. We're going to have to come in and frisk all of you, and maybe find something to put in your mouths to shut you up." The guy dressed like a police officer says. There's another man beside him, dressed like a fireman, with an ax and everything, who then begins to talk.

"I've heard that some of you girls in here are burning hot. I've come to put out the fire."

We all scream as both men rush into the room, grabbing Rose and tossing her into a chair as they begin to dance and remove their clothes. The fireman is tall, with dark hair and tanned and has some sort of oil all over him making him extra slippery. Us girls watch as Rose has one guy straddling her legs, leaving a slippery trail on her bare skin and the other is gyrating on Alice, shaking his thong-ed behind in her face. Tina and I take out our stack of one's that Alice got at the bank earlier, and we start to tuck bills into the men's underwear before taking out the camera to take pictures of this craziness.

The man dressed as a police officer is tall and tan, but his hair is light brown and his eyes are a pale green color. He's just in his underwear, with his ass in Rose's face, and quicker than I can blink, he lifts her from her chair, flips her upside down, and buries his face into her crotch, sending all of us girls into hysterics.

"Smile, Rose" I say as I bend down towards her face. She moves her head to face me, and throws up a thumbs up as I take the picture.

"Your turn!" Alice yells as she grabs the camera from my hands and pushes me towards the chair.

"No! No! I'm in charge of pictures!" I yell out, but soon enough my cries are muffled by fireman dude's greasy ass chest rubbing all over my body and face.

Damn it. This was much funnier when it was happening to someone else.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

It's now 3 am, and the strippers are long gone, and all of us girls are beyond fucked up, lounging around in our underwear as we finish off bottles of liquor.

"Youse guysss are my bestest friends…" Rose slurs. She's in the emotional stage, and I watch, holding back my laughter as she begins to cry. "I love you guysss soooo mush."

"Someone, get this bitch to bed. She's getting married tomorrow, damnit." I say, and Alice pulls herself off of the couch, and walks over to Rose, pulling her up by her hand and dragging her into the bedroom. I slip in further into the couch, feeling my eyelids start to get heavier, and just as I'm about to drift off to sleep, my phone starts to ring from underneath one of the couch cushions.

I dig my hand in, fishing around for my damn phone, and smile when I finally get it and I see his name on the screen.

"Hi." I say after pressing the green button.

"Hi. You guys are still partying?" Edward asks, and I shake my head, as if he could see me.

"No. We're about to go to sleep. I'm really fucking drunk." I say, and I hear him chuckling on the other end of the phone.

"Well. I miss you. I can't sleep without you, I guess." he says, and my mouth turns up into a wide smile.

"Awww. Edward. I miss you too. Did you know I ate a sandwich for dinner?" he starts to laugh harder at my drunk ramblings.

"Ok, Love. Well, get some sleep, and I'll see you tomorrow." he says

"Ok, Bye. I love yo-" I say, but then immediately start to heave before vomiting all over the floor. I hear Edward talking on the other end of the phone and I can make out him asking if I'm okay, but as I lift the phone to tell him I'm fine, I drop the phone into the puddle of my own vomit and begin to vomit once again…

All over my phone.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

"Good Morning, Starshine!" I hear a tinkling voice say above me. I brush her away, pulling my covers tighter against me as I try to nuzzle in for a couple of hours of much needed sleep. My head is pounding, my mouth is dry and I feel like death warmed over…

"Bella! Time to get up!" I hear her say again, and I moan and tell her to 'get the fuck outta my face'. Alice starts to laugh and then rips the blanket off of me, making me groan and pry open my eyes to give her my death glare.

"Why the fuck are you so chipper right now?" I ask her, squinting against the bright sunlight flooding into the room.

"Hmm. Let me see… maybe it has something to do with the fact that it's our best friend's wedding. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping… and I didn't get pissy drunk last night."

"Ungh. Fuck off. What time is it?" I ask her, rubbing my hands over my tired face, and blinking, finally getting my eyes to adjust to the brightness.

"It's just after 11. We have a couple of hours so I suggest you get your ass up so you can get ready." I groan once more, and then finally sit up, realizing that I'm on the fucking couch and I smell like vomit.

"Shit. Why the fuck do I smell like that?" I ask her, and she begins to laugh as she holds out a cup of coffee for me.

"Well, you fucking threw up all over yourself, and your phone…"

"Shit" I say, shaking my head and taking a sip of my coffee. I start to replay my night in my head, parts are fuzzy, but I can remember going to the bars, and drinking. Coming back to the hotel room, and drinking. Getting violated by some greasy ass man meat, and drinking. Then I remember talking to Edward, him telling me he missed me and me saying the same back to him.

Then I started to tell him that I loved him, and I threw up.

"Oh Shit." I groan out loud, smacking my hand to my face.

"Tell me about it." Alice says, handing my a different phone. "I put your card thingy in this phone for now. I called this morning, and ordered you a new phone, but since it wont be in for a couple of days, you can use this one in the mean time."

I smile and look up at my pixie friend, "Alice. You are like my guardian angel… you are the wind beneath my wings… you are…"

"Shut the hell up already and shower. You smell like a dirty asshole." she says, and turns and walks out of the room. I laugh as I get up from the couch and make my way into the bathroom. I turn on the water, as hot as it can go, so I can be sure to kill all of the damn germs, and I step in once it's steaming just like it should be. I hiss and whimper as the water hits me, but I get used to it pretty quick, and grab the body wash from the shelf and begin to wash myself.

My thought wander as I stand in the steamy shower. Could he have heard what I said? Could he have figured out what I said? Would he be freaked out?

All I need right now is for him to have heard me, freak out, and not show up for the wedding. That would be all kinds of awkward…

Damn it.

I finish up my shower, and step out, wrapping myself up in one of the fluffy towels, and walk into the adjoining bedroom, where Rose is getting her hair done.

"Hey. How fucked up did we get last night?" she says, smirking over at me. I shake my head and laugh.

"Way past fucked up. I swear, I drank my weight in rum last night." I say, walking into the room and over to my bag. I take out my underwear, which just so happens to be a corset and a thong in the same color as my gown, and I drop my towel, and shimmy the panties up my legs.

"Have you talked to Emmett? Is he here, or is he passed out in some strip club somewhere." I ask

Emmett and his friends celebrated last night too.

"Yes. I talked to him. He is getting ready and will be at the church at 1."

"Awesome." I say, smiling at her, and putting the corset on. "Tie this up for me, please?" I ask, walking over, and turning my back to her so she can tighten my corset. I love the ones that tie, especially this one that has the little bow at the bottom. Edward can unwrap me like a present… which is why I bought the damn thing to begin with.

"Have you talked to Edward?" she asks and I shake my head.

"No. I think I fucked up last night, Rose." I say, but her hands never stop working on my corset.

"How so?" she asks

"I was so fucked up, and then he called, and I might have started to tell him that I loved him…" I say, closing my eyes to wait for the lashing out she would give me.

But it didn't happen.

"Well. You do, don't you?" she asks, and I drop my head, looking down at my pedicured feet.

"Yea. But, I'm afraid I might scare him off or something…" I say. That's when she stills on my laces, and grabs me by the arm, and turns me to face her.

"Bella. I've seen you two together. He looks at you like you're the only woman in the world. I almost feel like a pervert watching you guys talk sometimes, you guys are so wrapped up into each other. Anyone looking in on you guys can tell that you are hopelessly in love…. When are you both going to realize that?" she asks, and I feel a tear come to my eye. I quickly bring my hand up and swipe away the traitor tear, and look down to my best friend.

"It's your wedding day. I'm supposed to be making you cry." I tell her, and she laughs, and stands up to wrap her arms around me.

"There's time for that. Just be honest, Bella. I know he feels the same way." I nod against her, and she pulls back, and wipes the wet trails off of my face. "Ok, now. Let me finish tying you up so we can get this show on the road. I'm getting married today!" she says, practically beaming with excitement. I smile and turn back around letting her finish.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIOIIO

The phone ringing from the table has me jumping up and grabbing it. I flip it open and press it to my ear, and say Hello, only to hear the voice I've been waiting all day to hear.

"Hey. I'm here at the church, ok? I'll see you in a bit." Edward says

"Ok. I'll see you in a bit, then." I say, smiling against the phone. We hang up, and I clutch the phone in my hands and hold it to my chest.

"Bella. Can you grab me my flowers please?" Rose says. We're just about to start, and Edward had me panicking. I thought for sure he was going to leave me hanging, and I'd be doing the YMCA by myself.

Because, you know it's like mandatory that you do the YMCA at every wedding. Seriously.

But knowing that he's out there waiting for me, has me beaming as the music starts and the doors open. Alice and Tina walk out, meeting Jasper, and Emmet's friend Rodrick, and walking down the aisle together. I turn back towards Rose and whisper that I love her, as the doors open once again and I walk out of the door, escorted by Emmett's Best man, Joe. We walk arm in arm down the aisle, and when I get towards the front, that's when I see him. He's wearing a tux, looking amazing, with a blue vest underneath that matches my dress. I smile at him and he smiles back, blowing me a kiss which causes me to blush.

Why must this man look so damn good all the time?

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

The ceremony went by beautifully. Emmett and Rose looked perfect up there together, and when they were pronounced as husband and wife, Alice and I practically had to pry them off each other. I mean really, had they never heard of 'church tongue'? when they finally separated, we all filed out of the church and watched as they shuffled into their limo and drove off.

As I was waving, I felt a strong hand squeeze my ass, causing me to jump and turn around, smacking Edward in the chest.

"Oh my gosh, Edward. We're at a church. You can't grab my ass while were at a church!" I yell/whisper at him which causes him to laugh.

"Bella. We're outside of the church, I think it's ok. I missed you. I couldn't help myself." he says, showing that devilish grin that always makes me have to change my underwear and cool myself off.

"Hmmm I missed you too." I say, getting up on my tiptoes to kiss his lips softly, "Now, lets go. We gotta get to the reception." I say, grabbing his hand and letting him show me where his car is. Five minutes later, we're in his car and he's starting it up to go to the reception, which is a good 15 minutes away, back at the hotel. My eyes stay on his as he winds through the streets, every so often looking over at me and smiling, making me turn to goo on the inside.

I feel my insides begin to heat up, and I clench my thighs together to keep the ache at bay, but I can't help it. Just looking at him does this to me, all the time, and seeing how I didn't get my fill of him last night, I'm desperately pining for it. I suck my lip into my mouth, seductively chewing it as I watch him. His eyes are on the road, but he glances over to me quickly before looking back, only to dart his eyes to me once again. His look turns from 'focused on the road' to 'filled with lust' after a second, and he raises an eyebrow as his hands tighten on the steering wheel.

"Bella. You shouldn't look at me like that…" he says, gulping down the saliva that had pooled into his mouth. I smirk up at him, and shift my body, placing my back against the door of the car.

"Why not?" I ask him, raising one of my hands to my face, and closing all but my index finger. I suck my finger into my mouth and then slowly drag it out of my mouth, over my lips, down my chin and neck, before dipping it down my chest and into my cleavage.

The car shakes as it veers off of the road, hitting the dirt and gravel before Edward clears his throat and turns the wheel back, placing the car fully back on the road.

"Bella! You're going to get us killed!" he says, chuckling as his grips on even tighter to the wheel. I lean forward, resting my hands on the seat in front of me until I'm a couple of inches away from his face.

"Not if you park somewhere…" I whisper into his ear, and I can see the goosebumps as they rise on the skin of his arms and neck.

"Bella!" he yells, with that same sexy grin on his face. He fights to keep his eyes on the road, and I smile at him as I see his eyes dart to mine from the corner of his eye every couple of seconds. I pull back, straightening myself in the chair and smirking as I hike my dress up and bring my hands underneath my dress. I hook my fingers into the waist of my panties, and turn my head to watch him as I lift my ass from the seat, and slowly start to tug my panties down my legs. I can see his adam's apple bobbing as he swallows over and over again, and once my panties hit the floor of his car, I reach down and grab them up in my hands, and place them on his chest.

"Can you hold these for me? They're really wet and I just can't wear them anymore." I say, and then turn my face to look straight ahead. I watch from the corner of my eye as he reaches up and grabs them in his hands, feeling the wetness seeping through them and he lets out a groan. His face darts to mine, and the look on his face is pure lust…. Just what I was looking for. He veers the car completely off of the road, parking us a couple of feet into the tree line off of the road and then slamming the car into park.

My teeth dig into my lip as I watch him unbuckle his seatbelt and toss it to the side, before grabbing the door handle and yanking it open and steeping out quickly. I furrow my brows, wondering what the hell he is doing as he walks around the car, and reaches my door. He grabs the handle, and opens it quickly and then bends down to grab my arm and yanks me out of the car and against his chest.

"Do you see what you do to me, Bella?" he asks, grabbing my hand in his and bringing it in between out bodies, pressing it to the enormous bulge in front of his pants. I groan, and then slowly nod up at him, loving the way he looks right before he's about to give it to me.

I'm about to say something back to him when he grabs my arm and turns me around, bringing my back up against his chest, and bringing his head down to kiss and nip at my neck as his hands travel all over my body.

"Pull your dress up" he moans/ asks and I nod my head and lean down, grabbing the hem of my dress and pulling it up to my thighs. His hands travel down, past the hem and then slip underneath and travel upwards, before cupping my hot, wet sex in his palms. He slowly brings a finger up, sliding it into my folds and dipping it inside of me. His finger circles my entrance, collecting some of my juices before sliding his finger up and circling my swollen clit, causing me to cry out.

"Shit. You are so fucking wet." he whispers against my neck, "Do you want me, Bella? Do you want me to bend you over this car right now and fuck you?" he says, and I quiver.

"Fuck yea." I groan out, and before I know it, my upper half is laying on the hood of his car, as he tugs my dress up and over my ass, exposing myself completely to him. I hear him start to unbuckle his pants, and then I hear as his pants fall to his feet. His hands rest on my hips as he pulls me to him, and a second later, he thrusts himself completely inside of me. I let out a loud moan as he does, and he stills, letting the feeling of being filled by him sink in. I bite my lip, and turn my head to look over my shoulder at him. His eyes are closed and his face is facing upwards. The look of satisfaction on his face is enough to make me cum right then and there, but then he lowers his face, and his eyes meet mine as he smiles at me, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and slowly pulls almost the whole way out, only to thrust back into me roughly.

"Shit!" I yell out, as he does the same thing, over and over. He leans a bit over me, reaching out and grabbing a handfull of my hair, and pulling it lightly, keeping my head from dropping onto the hood of the car.

"Damnit, Bella. You feel so good." he moans, and as much as I want to say something back, I have forgotten how to speak, so I just groan and whimper as he thrusts relentlessly into me.

The only sounds around us are the sounds of tires on the road as cars pass by on the road behind us, and our skin slapping together as my ass meets his pelvis. I feel the tightening start in my lower half so I moan louder, and tell him not to stop.

A couple of thrusts later, I feel my inner walls clamping around his cock as my orgasm bursts through me. I scream out his name as my breathing speeds and within seconds later, my name falls from his lips as I feel his warmth pour inside of me. He slows his movements as my body milks him dry, and then leans over me, and grabs my chin, bringing my head back as far as it can comfortably go, and kissing me softly.

He pulls back after a minute or so, and pulls my dress down for me before tugging his pants up his legs, and fastening them up. I stand up and turn to face him, leaning up against the car. His face is flushed and he has the highest look of contentment on his face, which is probably exactly what my face looks like. I reach my hands up, grabbing the sides of his face, and reaching up to kiss his mouth.

"Amazing as always, Mister Cullen." I say, smiling up at him. He chuckles and kisses me once more.

"Same for you, Miss Swan."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIOIOIOIOI

We eventually got to the reception. Once we stepped in there, every eye was on us, and I swear it felt like everyone knew what we were doing that made us so late. Edward dismissed my paranoid thoughts, and I was feeling better about it, until of course I set eyes on Alice and Rose.

They looked at me with those "We'll talk about it later" faces and I couldn't help but laugh. We did get together later on and discuss my roadside fuck, and the girls went crazy over it. Rose even said she was going to try and get Emmett to do that to her on their way to the airport.

Edward immediately clicked with Emmett and Jasper and spent the rest of the night talking with them. When we weren't dancing or making out, that is.

Emmett and Rose left a couple of hours after, getting into the back of the limo and making their way off to the airport for their flight. They were going on a weeklong honeymoon to Brazil, and as soon as she got back, she would be moving in with Emmett.

Edward and I left a while after Rose and Emmett left. We made plans to go out with Jasper and Alice later on in the week, and we left. To his house of course.

I was dead on my feet as we walked to the car. Edward actually had to carry me the rest of the way to the car, and once my head hit the seat, I was out. I was jumbled awake as Edward lifted me from my seat, and carried me from the car, into the house, and up the stairs. I could tell we were in his room by the smell. The smell of his cologne and his bath soap filled the air, and it was comforting. I felt my back hit the bed as he laid me down, and I felt my dress get tugged up and over my body and heard him gasp when he saw what I had on underneath.

"You have to wear this later when you're awake so we can have a little fun." he whispered in my ear before turning me around to lie on my stomach as his fingers got to work on my corset.

The air hit my naked body as he ripped the corset from me, and immediately I felt warmth as he tucked me into his bed, and covered me with his comforter.

The last thing I remember before drifting off to sleep was the bed dipping as he joined me, and his warm, naked body pressing up against mine and his arms wrapping around me as he tucked his face into my neck.

"Goodnight, my love." he said, before kissing my neck and pulling me towards him.

I slept better than ever before that night. Maybe it was because of being with him after a night of being without him, or maybe it was because I finally realized I wasn't the only one in love.

He loved me. I could see it now.

And I loved him.

The only thing left to do now was tell him…

* * *

**Hope you guys liked it. If some of you are hating the sexin, I'm sorry, but I gotta put it all in before the shit hits the fan... which is soon. **

**Next chapter is a big one. It's EPOV, and it's the Orlando Trip, along with some other things... and I should have it up soon... maybe early next week. **

**I wanna thank everyone who has this story on their favorites, or alerts, or whatever, You guys are friggen awesome. Also, a big thank you to my reviewers! It's almost always the same group of girly's leaving me love, and you guys seriously blow me away with your kind words and encouragement. Love you guys. **

**Reviews=Previews, so leave me some loving and you'll get a sneak peak at next chapter!**

**See you guys soon!**

**-Ana**


	17. Chapter 17: Orlando

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 17: Orlando

EPOV

As I stepped into my car that following Monday morning, I couldn't help but feel guilty. Inside of my house, just a mere couple of feet away, lay Bella. She was still sleeping, seeing how Tony and Angela were opening up today and we didn't have to be in until later, and as I left the room, I couldn't help but look back at her. She looked so peaceful as she slept, and I couldn't find it in me to wake her, so I kissed her forehead, whispered that I'd be back in a little while, and I walked through the door quickly, not wanting to lose it in front of her, sleeping or not.

I drove the familiar streets, until I came up to her house, where she was waiting for me already. As I pulled up in front of her house, she walked up to the car, gripped the door handle and pulled it open, throwing herself inside, and looking out the window as she put on her seatbelt.

"Hi." I said, looking over at her, still avoiding my eyes. "Um, how are you feeling today?" I say, and she shrugs her shoulders, still keeping her eyes facing away from me.

"What's wrong?" I ask her, and for the first time, she turns her face to look at me, and I finally see her. Her eyes are bloodshot, and watery and I can clearly see the fresh tear tracks on her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" She says, narrowing her eyes at me as she raises her voice. "We're on our way to the doctor's to take a paternity test… what the fuck do you think?" she says, and I grip hard onto the steering wheel, fighting with myself to keep calm and not blow up at her.

"Lauren. What do you expect?" I ask. She scoffs and shakes her head, looking at me directly in the eye.

"What do I expect? I expect you to remember that you once loved me.. I love you, and I didn't mean for things to end the way they did, but if you think I would cheat on you…"

"I don't know what to think, Lauren. You lie about everything else, why wouldn't you lie about this?" I say, and she shakes her head once more, and stares down at her lap, biting down on her lip. When I realize she's not going to say anything else, I put the car in drive and head down to the doctor's office.

The whole ride there is silent. Only the sounds of the air whooshing by the car, and our breathing fills the cabin of my car, and soon enough, I pull into a parking space in front of the doctor's office. Before I can even put the car in park, Lauren is out of the car and walking up to the doors. I shut off the car, and get out, walking up to the door, and walking in. Lauren has already checked in and is sitting in the waiting room already as I sit down across from her.

Her head is down, watching her hands in her lap, fingers interlaced as we wait for her name to be called so we can go back.

Just then, the sound of my phone going off fills the empty, quiet room. I dig around in my pocket for it, and when I finally got it, I look and see it's Bella calling, so I stand and step out of the room.

"Hi Beautiful." I say as soon as I step outside. I hear her yawn into the phone

"Hey. Where did you go?" she asks, and I bring my hand up to my hair, and run it through.

"I had some things to take care of this morning. I'll be back in a little while." I say, gripping onto my hair.

"Why didn't you wake me up? I could have come with you."

"You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to wake you."

"Ok, well. I'll see you when you get back then" she says, and I agree and hang up. The ache in my chest is overwhelming. I can't stand lying to her, keeping this from her, but I just can't tell her.

Not unless I have to.

I tuck my phone back into my pocket, and walk back into the office. Just as I reach the waiting room, Lauren's name is called and we walk back with the nurse to one of the exam rooms.

"Lay on here, Hun and take off your bottoms. The doctor will be in shortly." she says, and then disappears through the door, leaving Lauren and me in the room. I turn away as she slides her pants down and settles on the table.

We wait in silence once again, and after about 5 minutes, Dr. Marcus comes into the room.

"Hi. How are we doing this morning." he says, and when neither of us answer, he turns and begins to wash his hands. He turns back to us, grabbing gloves from the tray and slipping them on his hands.

"Ok, well, I'm going to let you know what I'm doing every step of the way. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me and I'll answer them. Ok, are we ready?" Lauren slowly nods her head, and looks up at me quickly before turning it back to face forward.

From the angle I'm sitting in, I can see as a fresh tear falls from her face.

And I feel like an asshole.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The procedure didn't take long. In fact, I think it was only about 30 minutes.

Dr. Marcus told us the results come back in a couple of days, and he'd call once he knew, so after Lauren got dressed, we left.

Lauren still didn't talk to me as we got in the car. I drove her home, and as I put the car in park, she took off her seatbelt, and stayed in the car for a moment. I was about to ask her what she was doing, but then she turned to look at me, with her eyes full of tears and told me that I should be ashamed of myself.

"You put me through that… for what? I'm not lying, Edward. I'm sorry if you think you can just leave me and start a new life with that slut from your job, but it's not going to be that simple. This is your baby, and when we get back the results, I hope you feel fucking stupid. I hope you feel like the biggest dumbass and I hope she fucking leaves you. You deserve to experience pain like you've caused me. Loving someone, only to have them turn around and break your heart…"

"Is that what that was, Lauren?" I yell at her. "Love? Because I thought that was just manipulation and pity. You were a bitch. A snotty, crazy, money hungry, princess wanna-be bitch. You took my money, you didn't want to work, and you fucked me over. So do me a favor, Lauren. Get the fuck out of my car, and leave me the fuck alone." I grip onto the steering wheel as if my life depended on it, breathing heavily and looking forward, avoiding looking over at her. A couple seconds after my outburst, she gets out of the car and as soon as she shuts the door, I speed off, not wanting to even look at her.

I speed all the way home, grinding my teeth, and every so often hitting the dash with my fist. Who the fuck does Lauren think she is saying shit like that to me? She always tries to turn shit around, tries to make me feel like I'm the one at fault for this.

I finally get home, and as I step into my garage, I take a moment to calm myself. Bella shouldn't have to deal with me while I'm pissed off, after all, it isn't her fault. So I take a couple of deep breaths, and close my eyes, feeling myself start to calm immediately.

I hear the door shoot open, and look up to see Bella standing in the doorway, hair piled up on her head, wearing one of my t-shirts, looking fresh from just getting up.

"Hi…" she says, and starts to walk over to me.

"Hey. Sleep well?" I ask, and she smiles as she reaches me, placing her hands on my chest and looking up at me with her deep brown eyes.

"I did. Up until a couple of hours ago when I was left alone." she says, pouting up at me. I chuckle, and lean down, capturing her lips in mine. She giggles against my lips, and I grab her around her back, pulling her body flush against mine. I put everything I have into that kiss, wanting her to know, without telling her, that I love her.

There's a good chance these next couple of days will be the last I have with her. If the baby turns out to be mine, I'll have no choice but to tell her, and I know she'll leave. So I have to make the time I have with her special.

She pulls back from the kiss, looking up at me with a look of question on her face.

"What was that?" she asks, and I look down at her, raising my hand to rest on the back of my neck.

"What?"

She stares at me for a moment, looking deep into my eyes before shaking her head, and looking down at her hands as she raises them and grabs onto my shirt.

"Nothing… it's just… the way you just kissed me…." she starts, before shaking her head.

"What? Bella?" I say, and she looks back up at me with watery eyes.

"It just seems like you're telling me goodbye…" she says, and I have to fight to keep my emotions in check as I grab her around the waist and pull her against me, letting her rest her head on my chest. I stoke her back, ignoring the feeling of my heart breaking a bit in my chest to focus on her.

"Bella. I'm going to be honest with you. If something should happen, that we're no longer together, it will not be me leaving you. The only reason we would no longer be, would be if you left me, because I don't want to let you go. I'll never let you go." I tell her, as her face lightens and she smiles up at me.

"I'm not going anywhere." she says, reaching her hands up and wrapping them around my waist. I lean down, kissing her lips softly and humming against them as I pull her to me tightly.

At this point I can only hope she means what she says, because I would die without her in my life.

I love her.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

"Ok guys. Remember, the convention starts tomorrow morning. Everything should be set up when you get there. Call me if you have any problems or any questions." Larry says as he helps up place our bags on the cart. We're leaving to the convention today, and I'm excited. I'm going to be is sunny fucking Florida, with Bella, for 4 ½ days.

But I'm also freaking, every minute I'm wondering if I'm going to get the call from Dr. Marcus. The call that will either make me or break me. But I've decided to not worry about that for now. I follow Bella as we walk through the airport, through security and then up to the gates to wait for our flight to start boarding.

I take her hand in mine as we wait, sitting side by side to be called in. Bella and I haven't slept together in a couple of days. The day I got home from taking Lauren for the test, Bella got her period, so our nights have been filled with nothing but TV, Chocolate bars and cuddling. And I miss her.

The flight attendant says its time to board, and I grab Bella's carry-on an walk up with her, through the jet way and onto the plane. We take our seats, and settle in, talking about everything and anything and stealing kisses in between that.

6 hours later, Bella and I are walking hand in hand off of the flight, and into Orlando International Airport. We follow the signs and make our way towards the baggage claim, sitting on the chairs next to the carousel, waiting for our bags to come out.

"Rose and Emmett asked me to ask you if you wanted to get together once we got back." Bella tells me. I nod, and tell her that would be great. Emmett and Jasper turned out to be real cool people. We had dinner with Jasper and Alice a couple of days ago, and I was surprised to see how much fun it was going out with another couple. Lauren's friends were all money hungry bitches, and their boyfriend's were all pricks, so I never liked going out with them.

The sirens for the carousel sound, and Bella and I stand, and walk over to it, and as our bags come out, I take them off and place them on one of our carts. After we've collected all of our bags, we make our way down to meet the car, and Bella and I laugh when we see the man, who must be around 30 years old, wearing an aero smith band t, with long hair and ripped up jeans, holding up a sign saying 'Cullen and Swan"

"We're Cullen and Swan" Bella says as we reach him, and he smiles, and leads us out through the automatic doors, to our car. A lime green limo.

I look over at her as we both snicker and the driver opens the door for us. We step in, and it's almost like stepping into some weird, awkward, disco. The entire floor is done is a white shag carpet, and there's a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. The entire inside, is tiled with mirror pieces and the seats are done in a forest green velour. We take our seats, and wait until the door is shut behind us before we start to laugh.

"This is… uh. Interesting." I say, running my hands along the seats.

"It's like something you would see in a porno.." she says, and then looks up at me. "I guess it's appropriate then… for what were here to do." she says, smirking and we both burst out laughing.

The drive to our hotel goes by quickly and before we know it, our obscene limo stops in front of our hotel, close to where the convention is being held. The driver opens the door for us, and tells us to go ahead and check in as he starts unloading the trunk. We walk up to the front desk, where a woman with chestnut colored hair is standing, wearing a white blazer, with a grey turtle neck underneath.

"Welcome to the Breaking Dawn Hotel, do you have a reservation?" she asks, and I smile, and lean forward, resting my hands against the desk.

"Yes. Cullen and Swan." I say, and she smiles up at me before looking down at her computer, clicking away at the keys as she looks for our names.

"Yes. I have both of you in our 2 bedroom, presidential suite." she says, leaning down and grabbing two card keys and scanning them. She tucks them into a brochure-like thing, and hands it to us. "Here are your keys, everything else has been taken care of. Enjoy your stay." she says, smiling as I grab the keys and turn to head towards the elevators.

Bella and I stand side by side as we step in, and as soon as the doors close, she practically jumps in my arms, pressing her lips against mine as she steps up on her tiptoes, pulling me tightly against her by my neck.

I moan against her neck, loving the feel of her lips on me. Even though Bella and I have done pretty much everything imaginable, kissing her is still one of the most satisfying things ever. Our lips just feel as if they were made for each other…

The elevator dings all too soon, letting us know we've reaches our floor, and we hold hands as we stroll out into the hallway and reach the door of our suite. I grab the key, and slide it in, as Bella turns the knob, opening the door. The lights are all on and we gasp as we enter the amazingly huge room. The room is decorated in bright, bold colors, A large sofa, printed with large flowers ranging in colors from red, yellow orange and blue sits off to the side, along with a dark wood coffee table and two armchairs, both solid colors blue and red sit behind that. A throw rug sits in front of the sofa, vibrant with red, gold and green swirls. A glass chandelier hangs over the sitting area, sending bits of light and lighting up the lavender walls, making it seem as if they are glowing. And straight ahead, is probably the most beautiful part of the room. Across from us, framed by plum purple curtains tied back by gold ropes, is a floor to ceiling window, taking up the whole back of the room. Bella and I walk up, pressing our hands against the glass as we look out into the lighted, busy city below us.

"This is amazing." Bella says, staring down before looking back up at me. I smile, and nod in agreement before grabbing her hand and leading her back through the room.

"Let's go see how the rest of the place holds up to this room." I say, with a chuckle and she nods, and follows me through the suite. The color doesn't end in the living room, every room is bold and brilliant, focusing on one main color and adding in others to make it pop. The bathroom is done mostly in white, accented with black, red, and orange colors. The smaller room in the suite is done in a yellow/gold/green theme, which I never thought would work, but somehow it does. Finally, the bigger room is done in royal blue and silver. The large, king sized bed is framed with a silver head board and the linens are a royal blue, mixed with white and silver.

It's beautiful.

Bella runs to the bed, jumping up in the air, and lands in the middle of the bed with a soft thump.

"Oh my god, this bed is heaven! Edward! Come and feel how nice this bed is!" she says, and I kick off my shoes, chuckling at her excitement, and run over, jumping up as she just did and landing on the side of the bed next to her.

"Mmmm" I say, snuggling deeper into the comforter.

"Amazing right!" she says, and I smile, and turn to my side, facing her. I grab onto her hand and intertwine our fingers as I look into her eyes. My heart starts to beat faster in my chest as I look at her. She is truly beautiful, and words can't express how thankful I am to have her here with me. I reach my hand out to her, grabbing the side of her face and caressing it, causing her to shut her eyes and nestle her face into my palm.

I had already made up my mind. I would tell her how I felt while we were here, she needed to know. I wanted her to know that she was special to me, and how I've never felt this way about anyone before. She had to know that I loved her with every fiber of my being. I loved her. And I was going to ask her to officially be mine.

We hadn't talked about what we were, and I think it's about time we considered ourselves boyfriend/girlfriend.

And hopefully, she'll stay with me… regardless of the outcome of the test results.

I scoot closer to her, until I'm right up against her warm body, breathing in her sweet scent. Our eyes meet, and I lean over and kiss her lightly on the lips, loving the warm tingly feeling her kisses give me. I run my hand from her face, down her arm until it's resting on her hip, and then I slowly pull her hips up against mine. She pulls back with a smack as our lips separate, and looks at me as she bites her lip, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Edward. We can't… I'm still…" she starts, but I shake my head, stopping her from saying anymore.

"It's ok, babe. Are you hungry? Maybe we should go out to eat?" I ask, and her face lightens up and she nods and gives me a quick kiss before jumping out of bed and walking over to our bags.

OIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIOI

The next day is real busy. We wake up early, and have to get to the convention to set up and stuff, and then we spend the whole day, surrounded by porn stars and porn star lovers as we work our booth for the shop.

The next two days are pretty much the same. We spend all day at the convention, and then come back to the hotel, only to pass out in bed minutes after laying our heads down.

Today is Sunday, and it's the last day we have to do this. Bella and I woke up early as usual, and got to the booth, selling things to people and asking questions any of the customers might have. Around lunch time, I ask Bella if she wants anything to eat or drink, and she tells me she'll have a burger and a soda, so I go off to get it for her.

When I get back, I see her talking to a man I've seen around out booth for the past few days. I reach her just in time to hear the end of their conversation.

"Well, thank you so much. I'll let you know." Bella says, holding in her hand what must be the man's card.

"Sure thing, honey. I can see you doing big things…" he says, and then turns, almost smacking clear into me, before stopping and walking around me.

"What was that about?" I ask, placing her food and drink on the table. She quickly tucks the card into her pocket, and shrugs.

"Nothing. He has a shop of his own, and is looking for someone to run it for him." she says, picking up her burger and taking a bite of it.

"Are you going to do it?" I ask her, and she shakes her head, chewing her food and holding up a finger letting me know to hold on. She swallows her food, and takes a sip of her drink.

"No. It's in California. I mean, it pays more, but I couldn't just leave like that…" she says, looking over at me. I nod and pick up one of my fries and stick it in my mouth as she takes another bite of her burger.

Since it's Sunday, and the last day of the convention, the doors close earlier than usual, at 5pm and we're able to get out of there way sooner than we have been. We pack up the booth, and make our way out to the car where Seth, our crazy band shirt wearing driver, is waiting for us.

We get in and quickly get back to the hotel, taking the elevator up to our floor, and walking into our room. Our flight isn't until tomorrow afternoon, so we can actually go out and enjoy what Orlando has to offer tonight.

"There's this club that plays nothing but oldies…." she says, smiling up at me while she puts her makeup. I run my hands through my wet hair and look down at her.

"Bella. You're young. What is "oldies" to you? Hanson?" I ask, chuckling and she smacks me right on my bare chest and sticks her tongue out at me.

"For your information, I LOVE the oldies. And by Oldies I mean stuff like, KC and the Sunshine band, the Bee Gees, Donna Summer… stuff like that!" she says, matter-of-factly and I laugh.

"Bella. You weren't even thought of back then… "

"Shut it, Eddie boy. I wanna dance to some oldies, I'm gonna dance to some oldies." she says, and I can't help but laugh at how cute she looks when she's angry.

An hour later, we're walking into the club. The club is painted black, and there's neon stars and flowers painted all over and black lights in every corner. The disco ball in the center of the club is spinning, sending bits of light flashing everywhere.

"Copa Cabana" is playing loudly over the speakers and I watch as Bella sways her hips along with the music.

We order some drinks at the bar, and Bella practically chugs hers down, in a rush to get on the dance floor. She places her empty glass back on the bar, and tugs me down to the dance floor as 'On The Radio by Donna Summer begins.

IOIOIOIOIOI

3 hours later, and I'm exhausted. Bella has only stopped dancing to get a drink once. I swear, I've burned like a million calories from dancing with her, but seeing the look on her face makes me want to forget how tired I am, and just keep dancing for her. Thankfully, the club is closing, and the DJ announces that the next song is the last one of the night, and to grab that special person and to dance with them.

The song begins, and I pull Bella close to me as the opening of 'In your eyes' by Peter Gabriel starts to play. We sway to the music, her with her head resting on my chest and my cheek laying on the top of her head and I listen to the perfect lyrics that remind me of Bella.

_(in your eyes)_

_the light the heat_

_(in your eyes)_

_I am complete_

_(in your eyes)_

_the resolution of all the fruitless searches_

_(in your eyes)_

_oh, I want to be that complete_

_I want to touch the light_

_the heat I see in your eyes_

She looks up at me then, and smiles. Her deep brown eyes staring into mine, making the feeling I have for her burst through and make me start to feel the tightening in my chest. Just then I realize I can't keep this to myself anymore. I'm going to tell her how I feel, tonight.

Now all I had to do was get her back to the hotel.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

"Oh, I had so much fun, Edward. Wasn't that great?" Bella says as we walk through the door to our room. She kicks off her heels and works on taking out her earrings.

"Yea. I actually liked it." I say, walking over to the bed, and taking off my shoes and socks. I look up at her, as she places her earrings on the table by the bed and looks down at me. I spread my legs a bit, and signal for her to move to the space between them, and she chuckles and walks over, settling in between my legs as she faces me, and runs her fingers through my hair.

"Bella," I say, reaching up to grab her hands in mine, and looking deep into her eyes. "Can I talk to you for a second?" I ask, and she looks down with a look of worry on her face, and nods.

"Uh, yes. I guess." she says

I move a bit, and tell her to sit down on the bed next to me, which she does and then looks back up at me.

"Bella. I've been racking my brain for weeks wondering when I should tell you this. IF I should tell you this, but I know I need to." I say, and I see her head drop to her lap. I bring my hand up, cup her chin and raise her head until her eyes meet mine.

"Bella. You are amazing. I've never had the kind of connection before with anyone like I've had with you. You bring out feelings in me that I never even though I had. You're beautiful, smart, classy and funny and you're everything I've ever wanted in a woman, plus more." I stop, looking at her, and drop my hand down from her chin, letting it fall in my lap. "I love you, Bella."

I watch as tears fill her eyes, and she sniffles a bit before dropping her head down to her lap. She looks back up at me after a while, tears filling her eyes and shakes her head.

"I love you, too. Edward, I am and have been unconditionally and irrevocably in love with you…" she says, and before I know what the hell I'm doing, I launch at her, pressing my lips against hers and pulling her to me closer, hungry for her taste..

"I love you, Bella. I love you so much." I whisper against her lips. She nods and gets up on her knees, her body hovering over me as she tilts her head and deepens the kiss. I reach down and grab one of her legs, pulling it over me and settling it on the other side of my lap, making her straddle me.

Her hands are resting on my shoulders as mine run over her back and up her neck, and she makes little noises of content against my mouth.

We kiss for what seems like forever, and then slowly, I pick her up and turn, setting her down on the bed and moving into the space in between her legs and capturing her lips once more. I reach around her, pulling the hem of her dress up, and tugging it up and off of her body before tossing it to the floor. Her hands get to work on the buttons on my shirt, and once she's reached the last one, she slowly pushes it off of my shoulders. Her hands dance along my chest, and up to my shoulders.

Our movement is slow, and loving. Not rushed at all. We both know after the words we've just exchanged, we need to show it, and it's exactly what we're doing.

After all the clothes have been removed for our bodies, I hover over Bella, holding myself up by my forearms and placing soft kisses on her lips and face. She reaches in between us and grabs me, pulling me to her entrance. I slowly enter her, feeling her tightness wrap around me like a vice, as our soft moans fill the air. I take my time, entering her inch my inch and giving her time to adjust to me, and once I'm fully inside of her, she slowly brings her legs up and wraps them around my waist, pulling me even deeper inside as she tilts her pelvis up.

"I love you." she says, looking up at me and I melt.

I melt because this is the woman who I love. The woman who means the most to me in the entire world.

And I'm lying to her.

I push that thought out of my mind, only wanting to focus on this moment, right now. Her and I connected, in a beautiful way. It's just us right now. No need to think of the problems we might soon have to face if things go a certain way.

"I love you too." I tell her, meaning it with my whole entire being, and hoping that these words will be enough to keep her with me, no matter what happens.

* * *

**:)**

**So, I'm still working on the next chapter, trying to make it perfect.. I'll try to have it up soon. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-Ana**


	18. Chapter 18: Impossible

Finding The Perfect Man

Certain parts of this are NSFW...

* * *

Chapter 18: Impossible

Perfect.

That would be the word I would use to describe our last night in Orlando.

I would have never thought that our night would end the way it did, and I try to ask myself if I would have stepped up and told him. Had Edward not said something first about his feelings, would I have came forward, and told him how I felt?

Inside, I tell myself I would have, but I doubt it.

The night began and we both went out to this club I had heard about that played nothing but hits from the 70's and 80's, which I just happen to love. It was just as I expected, dark walls, disco ball, and a lot of older people getting down on the dance floor. Edward and I danced, talked and drank the whole night through, and as the evening was winding down, the DJ announced that the club was about to close, and he put on the last song of the night.

'In Your Eyes' by Peter Gabriel.

Could there be a better song for Edward and I to dance to? Could there be a better song for Edward and I to dance to, with me knowing how I felt about him? I knew I loved him. I knew my search was over, and hearing the lyrics to that song as I danced with him put it all together.

He was it for me.

We went back to the hotel after that, and as I started to take off my earrings and shoes, Edward looked up at me and motioned for me to go to him. I chuckle as he spreads his legs and motions for me to step in between, and then I go over, settling into the space and reaching up to run my hands through his soft, bronze locks.

Then he looked up at me and told me he wanted to talk.

And my heart dropped.

He lifted my head up by my chin and the first thing to come to mind was that he was going to end this, end us. My heart broke a little as he started speaking, telling me that he had been waiting to tell me this. He then started telling me how wonderful I was and all that stuff, and I dropped my head as my eyes filled with tears and I prepared myself for the end.

I had said the same things to guys the past couple of years. With me being the way I was, I didn't want to get close to guys, and there were a couple that tried to take things to another level, and I would have to shoot them down. I would always start by saying how amazing they were, or how I liked them a lot, then I would hit them with the truth. I didn't want a relationship. It was all fun for me and I didn't want a commitment.

And now it seems like the years of pain I've caused in other people, has come around and is about to bite me in the ass.

And then he surprised me by saying something completely different.

My eyes were on his as he told me the three words that I didn't have the guts to tell him.

'I love you'

My heart swells and my eyes fill with tears as I drop my head back towards my lap, and then bring my head back up to meet his eyes. I told him how I felt then, I told him I had been in love with him.

And then he launched himself at me.

Our lips crashed against each others as he whispers that he loves me, and I can't do anything but nod. I get up on my knees on the bed, and he moves me so that I'm straddling his legs.

We got closer than ever before, that night. His body consumed mine. Every inch, inside and out became his, one hundred percent, where as before it had been something like ninety. We didn't sleep at all that night. We spent the time professing our love through touch, and kiss, exploring each other's body like never before, and bringing each other to a level of ecstasy that had been unheard of before that.

We were in love. The secret we had been keeping from each other was now out in the open, and there was no turning back.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"So, How was the trip?" Rose asks, reaching over to grab a tortilla chip and dip it into the salsa and then bringing it up to her mouth.

"It was amazing…" I say, blushing as I take a sip of my margarita. Rose, Alice and I are sitting in a great little Mexican restaurant close to where Alice and Rose work. I just got back a couple of hours before from Orlando, and I decided to have the girls meet me here. We had a lot to talk about.

"You can't just leave it there! What happened that's got you blushing like one of the Jonas Brothers in a brothel?" Alice says, and I can't help but giggle, partly because she's friggin funny and partly because I'm nervous.

Who am I kidding. I'm mostly nervous.

"Well. Um. The convention was great. We had a lot of sales, and were able to network with a bunch of other companies and things like that. And uh. Edward and I are in love." I say, looking down at the menu, avoiding their stares.

"Bella! How could you not tell us that!"

"What took you so long to tell us!" they both yell out, causing almost all of the people surrounding us turn their heads to gawk at us.

"I'm sorry." I say, folding the menu closed and trying not to crack the skin on my face with how big my smile is. "It kind of just happened."

I tell the girls the entire story, from dancing with Edward, then coming back to the hotel, to him being the first to say how he felt. Then I told them how the rest of our night went, and I got plenty of sighs, blushed faces and small cheers.

After our meal, the girls head home, and I head over to Edward's. As I step out of my car, and walk up the walkway to the front door, I hear the lock click on the door, and Edward swings the door open, standing there beaming in nothing but a pair of sweat pants, as I close the distance between us, and run into his arms.

"Shit, I missed you." he says, kissing my forehead and running his hands through my hair.

"I was only gone for an hour or two…" I say, chuckling against his bare chest.

"It was too long for me." he says, stepping back and grabbing my hand in his as he turns and leads us both back into the house. We walk through the living room and up the stairs, silently. Walking into his bedroom, Edward stops, and turns around to face me. His eyes meet mine, burning with pure desire as he pulls me to him until our chests are touching. Without speaking, he leans down, wrapping his hands behind my thighs and slowly lifting me up his body.

Our lips meet, shooting sparks and fires ignite behind my eyelids as soon as his lips touch mine. It's a reaction to him I hope never goes away. I slide my arms up his chest and settle my hands behind his neck, turning my head slightly to the side and deepening the kiss, and smiling against his mouth as he lets out a soft moan, and pushes his pelvis against me.

"You see what you do to me, Bella?" he asks, shifting his erection against me. "Always. I'm always ready for you…"

I moan against his lips, and dig my fingers deep into his hair, pulling him even closer to me. I can feel as my arousal soaks through my panties, and I start to grind on him, needing to feel some sort of friction to be able to dull this ache. Edward, seeing what I'm doing, grunts and then moves forward until my back is up against the wall, next to the door to his bathroom. He raises his hands, and grabs the strap of my tank top, pulling it down and off of my shoulder before leaning in and sucking at the skin on my neck and collarbone. His hand trails from my neck down my collarbone, and in between my breasts and lower before settling on the waist of my pants.

Working quickly, his fingers undo the button at the top, and unzip the zipper down all the way, and before I can even register what he's doing, his hand is pushing into my panties, and settling on my wet, heat. He hisses and pulls back from my neck to look me in the eye as he feels my wetness.

"I'm always ready for you, too." I whisper, looking at him through hooded eyes. He mutters a quick 'fuck' before setting my down on my feet, and bending down as he tugs my pants and panties down in one swift movement. I kick them off, and go straight to his pants, untying the cord around his waist, and pulling them straight down, smiling as his erection springs up and I realize he wasn't wearing underwear.

Before I can smirk up at him, his arms wrap around me and he pulls me back up his body, grabbing my ass roughly in his hands and pushing my back against the wall once again. I reach in-between us, knowing that what both of us need right now, and grab his hard length, putting it at my entrance as he shifts forward, sheathing himself inside of me in one quick move.

I throw my head back, hitting the wall behind me as he pumps quick and hard into me. His mouth reaches up, kissing gently and biting along my jawbone as our labored breaths fill the air. All too soon I feel the tightening in my lower regions, and I explode hard around his cock, clutching it tight as my orgasm flows through me. He follows quickly after, spilling into me, and after my body has taken every last drop from him, he stills, and our lips meet.

"I love you." he whispers against my lips. I pull away from him slowly, resting my forehead against his, the sweat from our lovemaking mingling together, and I smile as I stare into his eyes.

"I love you too."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Put your fingers, here, here and here…." Edward says, sitting behind me as his arms wrap around me to where the guitar is. His hands move over my fingers, showing me where to place them as he teaches me my first song.

"Remember to tap your foot…" he says, as I play the notes, and alternate tapping my foot. I play through the notes, and I hear him chuckle and then feel as he leans forward and places a kiss on my shoulder before getting up and walking over to the corner of the room to grab his guitar.

It's been a week since Edward and I told each other how we felt, and ever since then, everything has been perfect. I've spent most of my nights over here at his house, and a couple of days ago I started bothering him to teach me how to play the guitar. He went out that same day, and picked upa guitar for me, and for the past couple of days he's been trying to teach me how to play, but today is the day I actually know what the hell I'm doing.

"Are you ready?" he asks, sitting in front of me as he places his guitar in front of him, ready to play. I nod my head, and smile as he looks down and places his fingers on the notes. "You're going to sing, right?" he asks, and I huff, and nod which makes him laugh.

"Ok, 1...2.…1..2..3" he counts off, and we start to play and after playing the beginning, I start to sing.

_Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it_

_I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted_

_I fell right through the cracks_

_Now I'm trying to get back _

I look up, smiling at him as I fight to remember the notes to play, and try and remember when to tap my foot.

_Before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my bestest_

_And nothings gonna stop me but divine intervention_

_I reckon it's again my turn_

_To win some or learn some_

Edward starts singing the chorus with me.

_But I won't hesitate no more, no more_

_It can not wait, _

_I'm yours_

He sings the rest of the song with me, and I still can't help but get goose bumps when I hear him sing. His voice is so beautiful, smooth yet rough at the same time. We play the last note, and he smiles at me, gets up off the bed and hovers over me as he kisses my forehead.

"That was great, baby. Your voice is beautiful…" he says, which makes me blush and shake my head.

"Nah. _Your_ voice is amazing. It's like a combination of Fergie and Jesus." I say, and immediately begin laughing, unable to hold it back. He places my guitar on the floor next to his, and pounces on me, tickling my sides making me squeal out.

"Edward! No! Stop! I'm Ticklish!" I get out, in between laughs and screams.

"Well! You should have thought of that before you quoted Step Brothers to me…" he says. I yell out that I'm going to pee if her doesn't stop, and he laughs before moving his hands away from my sides, and lays next to me on the bed. I stare up at the ceiling as I feel his hands start to run along my stomach, up in between my breasts, and to my neck before going back down again.

It's amazing how Edward knows just what to do to my body, practically making It burst into flames with my desire for him. I turn my head to the side, looking right into his green depths, and I start to inch towards him, needing and wanting those lips against mine right now, and as I get nearer, I begin to shut me eyes.

But right when our lips are about to touch, his phone rings from the nightstand, and he groans and my eyes shoot open as he looks at me apologetically, and turns over, reaching to grab his cell phone from the table. I prop myself up on my elbows as I watch him grab the phone, and quickly press the 'end' button, ignoring the call.

"Who was it?" I ask, and he sets the phone down, and looks over at me.

"Uh. A telemarketer or something…" he says, staring at the phone again, before darting his eyes to me.

I've noticed for the past couple of days, that Edward will grab his phone quickly when it rings, but will let out a groan, or sigh when he sees who it is, and then tuck it in his pocket, and suddenly have somewhere to go.

And today wasn't an exception.

"I have to go to the bank. I'll be right back, ok?" he says, looking at me. I nod my head, and watch as he leans over to me, kissing my lips before getting off of the bed and walking over to the closet to get a shirt to put on.

I know I should trust him. I love him, and part of loving someone is trusting that they will be honest with you, and never hurt you, but at this point, curiosity is getting the best of me. So, as soon as he disappears through his closet door, I reach over on the bed, grabbing his phone and quickly going through it to find the last number, hoping like hell it's an 800 number…

But my heart sinks when I see the number that called him, and realize it's a Seattle area code…

I don't have time to copy the number or anything, so I quickly put the phone back to the menu screen, and place it back on the nightstand and lay back on the bed just as I had been before, as I fight to keep the tears at bay.

Edward comes out from the closet, wearing one of his plain t-shirts, and slipping his feet into his shoes.

"I'll be right back, babe. Do you need anything?" he asks, looking over at me as he swings his keys in his hand. I look up, looking deep into his eyes, trying to see if I can find a reason for him doing this to me… If he is in fact doing what I think he's doing…

"No. I'm actually going to meet Rose and Alice for lunch, so I'm just gonna get ready…" I say, and he nods and walks over to kiss me on the lips.

"So, I guess I'll see you tonight when I get out of work?" he says, and I nod my head, forcing a smile on my face as I try and keep my chin from quivering and my eyes from watering.

"Yea." I say, as he pulls away from me, telling me he loves me.

"I love you, too," I tell him, as he gives me one last smile and turns, grabbing his phone from the nightstand and walking out the door.

And as soon as I hear the garage door shut, the tears start to flow uncontrollably.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

"I think he's cheating on me, or something…" I tell the girls as we sit at our table, outside of the sandwich shop we decided to meet at for lunch. When the girls got my call, even though they had already taken their lunch, they dropped everything they were doing to come and meet me.

"How? What's going on?" Alice asks, reaching across the table to grab my hand in hers. I reach up with my free hand to swipe away the tears that are falling down my face, and feel as Rose shoves a tissue into my hand.

"Thanks." I say, dabbing my eyes and nose, and looking at the faces of my two best friends. "Ugh, he's just been getting calls, and when he gets them, it's like he wants to ignore them real quick. I ask him who it is, and he'll say it's the bank, or it's a telemarketer. So, it happened today, and I waited until he was out of the room, and grabbed the phone, expecting to see a telemarketer number, and it was a Seattle number. Anyways, after all these calls come in, he always has to go somewhere…"

"Bella. What is your gut telling you?" Rose asks, leaning over the table to bring her face closer to mine. I sniffle, and shake my head as new tears trail down my face, and fall off of my chin and into my lap.

"My gut is telling me he's hiding something.. I'm trying so hard not to think that he'd actually do something like that to me, but deep inside, I know he is." I say, as a sob rips through me. I start to cry softly and I bury my face into my hands, feeling the pain deep in my chest from the whole situation. I suddenly hear as the girls get up from their chairs, and come beside me, wrapping their arms around me as they comfort me.

"You have to do what's best, Bella. If you think something is going on, you should talk to him about it…" Alice says, rubbing small circles on my back.

"I can't. He'll know I was snooping.. He'll know I looked through his phone…" I say, and Rose reaches over, grabbing my chin in her hand and pulling my face up to hers.

"Bella. You love him, but love shouldn't feel like this… You shouldn't be here crying, telling us you think he's doing something. Love is about trust, and if you think something is going on, you need to say something. If he loves you like he says he does, he'll tell you. And if he doesn't, then you know you're wasting your time with the wrong guy…"

I take in her words, and finally nod, knowing that what Rose is saying is the truth.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

I leave the girls after that, letting them get back to work, as I try and decide how I'm going to discuss this with him. I take my time getting back to Edward's place, stopping over at the store to grab some milk after remembering he was running low and running some errands. By the time I finish doing everything I need to do, it's already getting dark outside.

I drive through the darkened streets of the city, finally pulling up to the gate where Edward lives. I punch in the gate code, and drive in and when I get to the house, I notice a car parked in the street outside of his house. I shrug it off, and park in his driveway, grabbing the gallon of milk and getting out of my car. I shut the door behind me, locking it from my key chain, and walk up to the front door.

That's when I hear the knocking.

I can't see much because it's dark, but as I get nearer, I notice the outline of a person in front of Edward's door.

"Um. Can I help you?" I ask, stopping in front of the person. The shade from the cover over the front door keeps me from seeing the person, but as they turn around and walk forward, stepping into the light from the street light, I recognize this person immediately.

"Hi, porn shop girl…." she says, and I realize it's the girl who came by the shop that one time, looking for Edward, and the girl from the club. The girl he said was his girlfriend…

"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask her, shifting the milk jug from one hand to the other. She looks at me, and even through it's not very well lit out here, I can still tell she has an evil glint in her eye.

"Well, I'm here to see Edward, but he's not answering my calls…"

"Why would he answer your calls?" I ask, staring her down, and out comes her laugh, laced with hate.

"You mean you don't know? He hasn't told you?" she says, and I narrow my eyes, and shake my head as I look her up and down…

"Told me what?" I ask her, and she doesn't say anything. She brings her hands up from her sides, and rests them both on her stomach. I think nothing of it at first, but when I look down again, I notice it. She's cradling her stomach in her hand, cradling the tiniest, yet visible bump.

And just like that, my heart breaks into a million pieces.

"Wh- What are you sa-saying?" I ask her, trying to keep the tears at bay, but failing as my eyes fill with tears and my chin quivers.

"Oh, are you that dumb? Where do you think he goes when he leaves you? I call him, then he leaves and meets me. Where did you think he was going?" she says, and the tears start to flow down my face. I don't want to believe what she's saying, so I turn and look at her.

"How do you know it's his? You look like you get around… why don't you go down to the nearest bar and see if you can find your baby's father there.." I say, trying my best to say something hurtful to her, but instead of crying or walking away like I hoped she would, she throws her head back and laughs.

"Honey, Edward _is _the father. When he left you earlier, he took me to the doctor's to get the results from the paternity test we had done. It's Edward's baby, 99.99% accurate, sweetheart." she says, and I sob, dropping the milk and feeling the cool splash as the jug hit's the ground and shatters. I drop to the ground, crying into my hands.

I knew it. I knew he was hiding something from me, but I never thought it would be something like this.

"Hmm. Sorry, hun, but I think your playing house with him is over… Tell him I stopped by though, and make sure you grab all of your shit from my house…" she says and I can hear her footsteps as she walks away, back to her car.

I stay there, outside, for a while, crying into my hands and trying to numb the pain that is bursting through my chest.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

I eventually got up and went inside, and immediately went upstairs, grabbing everything I could and stuffing it into the duffel I brought all the shit in with. I walk back down, looking over at the clock when I reach the living room and seeing that Edward will be home soon, so I take a seat with my bag and wait.

I look at my phone, not knowing why. Edward hasn't called me all day, so I should have known something was going on.

But it doesn't matter now…

I hear the garage open, and I turn and wait for him to walk through the door, clenching my fists in my lap as I try and hold myself back from jumping out of this chair and breaking his face for breaking my heart.

The door opens, and he walks in, looking miserable. His eyes are red and I can tell he's been crying and I can tell he's feeling bad, and deep inside, I want to run to him and wipe his tears, tell him how much I love him, and make him feel better, but I push that shit down all the way.

He looks over at me, and I hear him exhale a breath as he walks around the breakfast bar and into the living room, stopping when he sees the bag at my feet.

"Bella.. Where.." he starts, but I raise my hand."

"Just, shut the fuck up, Ok?" I say, avoiding looking into his eyes. After a couple of seconds, he stays silent, so I raise up from the couch and walk over to him, stopping as I stand in front of him and finally raise my head to look at his face.

"I loved you. I trusted you, and you couldn't even be honest with me."

"Bella… I.."

"I said shut the fuck up, Edward. Talk when I fucking ask you a question… Like, Why the fuck would you do this to me?" I ask, looking up at him. He takes a deep breath, and shuts his eyes and I watch as a fresh tears trails down from his eye.

"What do you know, Bella?" he asks, keeping his eyes shut and balling his hands into fists and bringing them up to his forehead.

"I know everything. I know you lied when a phone call would come in, and you'd leave right after. I know who you went to see, and why. And most of all, I know what happened today… but you know what I don't know, Edward? I don't know why you would do this to me. Was this all a fucking joke to you? Was I just a piece of ass to you?" I ask, and he immediately starts to shake his head.

"Bella! No! I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to lose you…" I bring my hand up, and ball it into a fist, and before I realize what the hell I'm doing, I feel as my fist flies through the air, before connecting with his face. His face crinkles in pain as he feels the pain from the hit and I watch as he brings his hand up to his face, rubbing the area I've just hit.

"You didn't want to lose me? Well guess what, Edward." I say, turning around and walking over to my bag by the couch, lifting it and swinging it onto my shoulder.

"You just fucking lost me…"

I turn away, looking straight ahead through blurry, tear filled eyes as I walk to the front door, pulling it open, and walking out of his house. Away from him. Away from the man I loved with every fiber of my being…

I get to my car, and let the tears flow freely as I toss my bag into the backseat. I shut the door, and open the front door, taking one last look at the house I thought I would have many amazing memories in. I can see Edward standing in the doorway, watching as I leave, and I can only hope this is hurting him 100 times worse than it's hurting me.

Because right now, the pain I feel is unbearable, almost crippling..

I get into my car, letting out a sob as I turn on the car and quickly back out of his driveway, and onto the street, peeling out as soon as I throw it into drive and getting the fuck away from there.

As if my life had a soundtrack, suddenly a song starts to play on the radio and the tears flowed down my face even faster as the words hit home with me…

_I remember years ago_

_Someone told me I should take_

_Caution when it comes to love_

_I did, I did_

_And you were strong and I was not_

_My illusion, my mistake_

_I was careless, I forgot_

_I did_

_And now when all is done_

_There is nothing to say_

_You have gone and so effortlessly_

_You have won_

_You can go ahead tell themTell them all I know now_

_Shout it from the roof top_

_Write it on the sky love_

_All we had is gone now_

_Tell them I was happy_

_And my heart is broken_

_All my scars are open_

_Tell them what I hoped would be_

_Impossible_

_Impossible_

_Impossible_

_Impossible…_

* * *

**I hope this gave some of you the answers you were looking for... and I hope even after finding out that it is his baby, you won't give up on this story. Trust me, it will be ok... **

**If you haven't noticed, I'm a sucker for a song matching the events happening in a story. The first song was "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, and the last song is "Impossible" by Shonetelle. **

**Next chapter will be EPOV, and I should have it up next week.**

**Leave me some love, and i'll leave you a snippet of the next chapter...**

**as always, thanks so much for reading!**

**-Ana**


	19. Chapter 19: Love Isn't Enough

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 19: Love isn't Enough.

EPOV

Her fist connects with my face, and although it hurts, it doesn't compare at all to the pain I have in my heart.

Everything I did, every thing I kept from her, was to avoid this. I didn't want this.

My plan, which at first seemed simple and like the right thing to do, had backfired on me.

"You didn't want to lose me? Well guess what, Edward."

I watch, ignoring the blinding pain engulfing me, and I see her as she grabs her bag from the floor, and swings it up and placing it on her shoulder.

"You just fucking lost me…"

And just like that, she walks out of the door, out of my house, and out of my life.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

_Earlier that day:_

I try to keep a straight face, holding back the emotions that are fighting to come to the surface as I kiss her goodbye, and walk out of the room.

Lauren and I were expecting the results for the paternity test today, and I knew when she called me, that it was because she had been called and told the results were in. I knew today would either make me or break me, and I was mentally preparing myself for it.

On the way to pick Lauren up, I went over in my head the things I'd say to Bella if the baby turned out to be mine. I knew no matter what I'd say, it would hurt her, but my mind was so set on the fact that it wasn't my baby, that I didn't take the time to get things right…

I pull up to her house, where she's waiting, leaning against the garage with a half eaten apple in her hand. She chucks the apple into the lawn, and pushes off the garage door, walking over to me, and keeps a neutral face as she opens the car door and gets in.

"Hi." she says, as soon as the door shuts and she reaches over to grab the seatbelt and put it on.

"Hi. How are you feeling?" I ask her, and she gives me a slight smile, and nods her head, telling me she feels ok. I put the car in drive, and make my way through the streets and to the doctor's office. When we get there, I shut off the car after pulling into a spot, and as Lauren grabs the door handle and goes to get out, I reach over, grabbing her arm and stop her.

"Lauren… we need to talk." I say, and she looks over at me, nods her head once, and drops her hand from the handle into her lap.

"If this baby turns out to be mine, I want you to know that I will step up and be a man and a father to my child. I will help you out with whatever you need, and make sure you and the baby are taken care of." I say, and I see as her eyes start to tear, "But if it's not mine, Lauren. I never want to see you again, do you hear me?" I say, and her eyes stay on mine as she nods her head slowly, and reaches for the handle again. I step out, and walk around the car, meeting with her as she slams the door shut. We walk up to the doctor's side by side, anxious to get the results and get this over with.

We wait for a couple of minutes in the waiting room before the nurse calls us both back. We walks through the hallway, passing all of the exam rooms and things like that, and finally come to an office. Two chairs sit on one side of the table, as one sits at the other side. Paintings of children are framed on the wall, and there's a bookcase filled with medical books in the corner. The light green paint on the walls, makes this room seem calming, but I know that in most cases, people who come in here aren't calm.

Lauren and I sit side by side, as we wait in the quiet room for the doctor to come in. My eyes never leave my lap, and after a couple of minutes, Dr. Marcus comes in with a file in his hand, and his glasses on the edge of his nose.

"Hello Miss Mallory, Mister Cullen." he says, as he makes the way to his seat on the other side of the desk. We each mumble out a small hello, neither one of us wanting to make small talk. We just want the results at this point.

The doctor sit's the file in front of him on the desk, and he opens it, reading over the sheet in front of him. He raises his head after a moment, and begins to speak.

"Well, Mister Cullen, according to the test results, the possibility of paternity to Miss Mallory's child, is over 99.99%. You are the father."

And with those words, my life and everything I knew and loved, crashed and burned all around me.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The drive back to Lauren's house was silent. The doctor had given me a copy of the tests results to check over myself, and after ten minutes of examining it myself, I finally had to face the truth. I was going to be a father.

I pull up in front of Lauren's house, and don't even put the car in park. She takes off her seat belt, and turns her head to look at me.

"Edward…. It's going to be ok, you know?" she says, and I sigh, and turn my head to look straight ahead until she gets out and the door closes behind her, and I drive off.

A million thoughts run through my head as I drive through the streets to get to work. Some are concerning Lauren, some are concerning what I'm going to tell my parents, but the majority of my thoughts are about Bella.

Will she forgive me? Can she still be with me, knowing I have a baby with someone else? Will she be mad that I knew about this for so long and didn't tell her anything?

I get into work, and don't say a word to Angela or Tony. I walk in and past them, walking into the backroom and shutting myself in. My entire shift, all I do is sit and stare at my cell phone as it rests on the desk top. I fight with myself, trying to decide if I should call her or not, but then decide not to. The situation that I'm in right now is something to be discussed in person.

And I am dreading that conversation.

Before my shift is over, there's a knock at the door. I raise my head from the desk and wipe away the tears from my eyes as I yell 'Come in'

I hear as the door creeks open, light flooding in from the store and footsteps as they make their way inside.

"Hey man. You've been in here all day. You feeling Ok?" I hear Tony ask. Working with Tony this past couple of weeks has been great. He's turned out to be not only a good person, but a good friend, and since I need one of those right now, I turn around in my chair and look up at him as he stands in the doorway.

"I fucked up, Tony…" I say, and bow my head, bringing my hands into my lap and twiddling the thumbs as fresh tears flow from my eyes and fall to the floor under me.

"What's going on?" he asks, stepping into the room and flicking on the light. I bring my head up and look up at him "Shit, Edward. Have you been fucking crying, man?" he asks, and I nod my head. He takes a seat on the corner of the desk and tells me to tell him what's wrong.

So I do. I tell him every single thing. Everything that I've felt the need to keep trapped inside for the past couple of weeks, I finally let out. And as much as it felt good, it still hurt me down to my core.

"Wow." he said when I finished.

"I know. What do I do?" I ask, and look up at him to see him shrug his shoulders.

"Edward. I'm not going to lie and say that Bella is just going to forgive you for lying to her, because as much as I know about Bella, I know she doesn't forgive easily. That being said, she loves you, man. And you love her, right?" he says, looking over to me.

"With everything I am." I say, looking into his eyes. He nods once, and takes a deep breath.

"Then it will be ok in the end." he says.

I bring my hand up and run it over my face, needing the wake up and the words to hit me.

"What if it's not?" I ask, saying my worst fear out loud. The fear that Bella will leave me because of this.

Tony stands up from the corner of the desk, and walks in front of me, placing both hands on my shoulders, and looking at me straight in the eye.

"If it's not ok…. Then it's not the end."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

I stand at the doorway long after her car has disappeared. I keep shutting my eyes, and then opening them, hoping that none of this is real, hoping this is only a dream, but every time my eyes open, I see the empty driveway, I see the skid marks in the road from where she peeled out, anxious to get away from me.

I can honestly say I have never felt pain like this before in my life. My heart feels like it's been twisted and mangled inside of my chest and as I bring my hand up to it, trying to dull the ache, I realize that nothing will make this pain go away.

Nothing but her.

I step inside of my house, shutting the door behind me and drag myself inside and towards the stairs. I take a look over at the clock in the living room and that's when I notice that it's after 5am. I had been standing in the doorway for hours, and as exhausted as I felt, I couldn't find it in me to sleep. I turn from the stairs, not able to walk up the flight, and throw myself down in the couch, staring up at my ceiling. I reach for my phone in my pocket, pull it out and dial her number.

It goes straight to voicemail without even ringing.

"_Hey It's Bella, I can't come to the phone right now, so leave me a message and I'll call you back."_

*Beep*

"I'm sorry. I love you." I say, and then, with nothing else to say to her, I press the red button on the phone, ending the call.

All I could do at that point is hope she can forgive me…

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

I don't know when I fell asleep this morning, but the sound of my cell phone ringing in my hand wakes me, and I open my eyes to the living room flooded with sunlight. I jump up from the sofa, bringing the phone up to my face and seeing Lauren's number flashed across the screen.

"Fuck" I yell out, and toss the phone back onto the couch. I look over at the clock and see that it's almost 1 in the afternoon. Almost time for my shift. My shift with Bella.

I hop off of the couch, and run upstairs and jump into the shower. Bella works the night shift with me tonight, and I want to talk to her. I need to talk to her. She needs to know that I never meant to hurt her, but that I love her and I want to be with her.

The hot water pours over me, stinging my skin but the pain is comforting. The pain keeps my mind off the pain inside of me, which I haven't felt relief from in hours.

I get out after my skin is red and practically raw, and go into my closet, pick out a black buttonup shirt, and throw on some jeans and sneakers. I run out of my house, anxious to get there and be in her presence, and I get into my car and peal out of the driveway, and onto the road.

I get there, with minutes to spare before my shift starts and I look in the parking lot, and can't hold back the smile that comes to my face when I see her car sitting there. The smile quickly fades though when I think about what might happen in there. She might not want anything to do with me, which I can understand. She might talk to me, and break my heart with what she has to say.

What ever it was, I was ready for it.

I think.

I walk into the shop, and my breathing stops for a moment as my eyes land on her. She standing behind the counter, slouched over with her elbows resting on the counter top as her head is bent forward, looking down at the newspaper in front of her. But what she is doing isn't want makes my breathing stop. The woman in front of me does not look a thing like my Bella usually does. Her hair is messy, and piled up on her head, her shirt is hanging off of her body limply and I can see the top of sweat pants from where I stand. The door shuts behind me, and her head rises and her eyes meet mine, and when I see her red, and swollen eyes, my own eyes start to water and the pain inside me intensifies, because I know she is like that because of me.

Because of what I did to her.

Her face shows no emotion as she drops her face from mine, and she continues to read. I know she doesn't want to speak to me, but I walk closer, until my hands are resting on the other side of the counter, and I say her name.

"Bella…" I say, and she squeezes her eyes shut, and shakes her head, without even looking up at me.

"No…" she whispers, and I hear as two tear drops fall from her eyes to the newspaper, leaving round, wet spots on the headline.

"Please… just let me talk to you." I beg, and she reaches up one hand, and wipes the wetness from her eyes. I stand there, waiting for a response from her for a couple of seconds, before finally she sniffs, and begins to speak.

"After work." she says, and I nod, my heart fluttering in my chest with hope that after hearing my side of things, she'll be able to understand why I did what I did.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIOIOIOIOI

The last customer leaves from the night, holding his bag of anal beads and lube, and I walk up behind him, catching the door and closing it before locking it and flipping the sign to closed on the door.

Bella is in the back room, grabbing the few boxes we have left to unload and place in the store. She's been doing that all night, to avoid me while I've been working the store, taking orders, ringing people up and helping customers. I knew it was for the best, to leave her alone with her thoughts in the meantime. I was hoping she would be able to remember how she felt about me just a day ago… remember how she loved me and how I loved her.

I cash out, placing all of the money in the safe, and cleaning up the store, and by the time it's time leave, I wait for her by the door. She tosses the last box she had just finished unloading into the back room, and goes in, grabbing her bag and keys, and shutting the door behind her. I watch as she walks towards me, head down and sluggish, probably from lack of sleep like me.

"Outside." she says as she reaches me, and I reach over and click the lock open, and push the door, motioning for her to go through first which she does quickly. She walks over to her car as I lock the door back up, before making my way over to her car where she is waiting for me. As soon as I reach her, she raises her head to meet my eyes, and I feel my heart twisting at seeing her in pain, like she is now. We look at each other for a couple of minutes, before she finally whispers "Speak." to me, and I begin to tell her.

I tell her everything. I tell her how Lauren and my relationship had gone bad because of her spending money, I told her how I kicked her out and sent her back home, then I told her about how I found out. She heard about hw I went out to speak to Lauren, and how she told me it was mine but I didn't belive her, I told her how Lauren would be the one who called and I'd ignore it, and then go somewhere to speak to her.

Then I told her what happened yesterday, I told her she called, and we went to the doctors and found out it was my baby Lauren was carrying.

And throughout all that, not once did her face show any emotion, other than hurt.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I never meant to hurt you. I love you. I love you more than anything in this world and I don't want to lose you… not over this." I say, and she gives me a slight nod, before turning around and unlocking her car, opening her door and tossing her bag to the passenger side.

"Wait…" I say, grabbing onto her arm as she goes to get into her car, she stiffens beneath me and I snap my hand back, digging it into my hair and pulling at the ends. "Please, Bella. Say something" I beg her, looking down at her. I watch as her face changes and a blush comes to her face, and not a blush I'm used to seeing.

"Say something?" she seethes, looking up at me and clenching her fists together. "Fine, I'll fucking say something. Fuck you, Edward." she says, shocking me. It hurts to hear her talk to me like this, but I know I deserve it, so I stand there and listen as she goes off on me.

"You know what bothers me, Edward. It isn't that you were with her, it isn't that you're having a baby with her… it's that you lied. You lied to me, Edward. And I will never forgive you for that." she says, face slightly red with anger, but as she goes on, I watch as the redness fades and her eyes begin to water. "I love you… so much. But I can't trust you. If you can lie about something like this, you can lie about anything, and I don't think I can deal with that." she says, and if possible, the remaining pieces of my heart shatter into a million pieces, leaving nothing left.

"What can I do, Bella? What can I do to make things better. I want us… I want you. I love you so much." I say, tears falling freely down my face as hers are too, but she shakes her head and swipes under her eyes.

"I can't Edward. But I want you to go and take care of things… you have a baby on the way, and you n-need to be there for th-them." she says, her voice breaking along the way.

Tears fill my eyes faster now as I look at her. I won't let this happen to us. I will make it up to her.

"Bella. I love you, and I'm not going to stop…" I tell her, and she sobs, and reaches her hands up to cover her face quickly before shaking it off and looking up at me, watery eye to watery eye.

"I've already asked Larry to switch our shifts. You'll be working one, and I'll be working the other starting tomorrow. I love you….but I can't." she says, and turns and gets in her car. I stand there, under the street light, and watch as she pulls away and onto the road, and that's when I lose control. I scream, a loud, feral scream, and stalk over to my car, raising my arms in the air and swinging them down against my car. I do it for a while, over and over again, the sound of my fists hitting the surface of my car giving me a sickening feeling of relief as my hands ache and burn from it. With a couple more crashes against the front of the car, I let out another scream and then fall to the floor, crumbling down onto my knees and grabbing my head in my hands as I cry.

I've lost her….

IOIOIOIOIOIIOIOIOIOIOI

I got home eventually. I was so exhausted and in pain, all I did was take an aspirin, and fall into bed, dead to the world as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I dreamed of her last night. She was running through a field, long white dress flowing away from her body as the wind pushed it, and he hair was blowing wildly around her face. Her smile was blinding, as she would look back at me from time to time as I chased her through the flowers. Suddenly a dark cloud came from the sky, covering everything and making the field darken. Her eyes met mine, and I saw the Bella I had seen last night, crying and miserable, all because of me. And she still ran…

But now it wasn't playful. She was running away from me, to get away from me, and as hard as I pushed to run after her, she still disappeared into the darkness, leaving me standing in the middle of the field, rain pelting my body as I called out her name.

I woke up in a cold sweat that morning, and as I got ready for my day, tears would still fall from my eyes when I thought about what had happened the night before.

I went to work, an empty shell, doing what I had to do and then going home. It continued for the next couple of days, and when the weekend came around, I got a call from my father. He had been worried because he hadn't heard from me in a while, and I lost it, knowing I would have to tell him about Lauren and the baby. We made plans for me to go over for dinner later that night, and as I was getting ready to meet them, I walked into my room, ready to grab my clothes to get dressed when my eyes landed on Bella's acoustic guitar standing up in my closet.

Tears sprang to my eyes as I remembered the last time her and I had played together. It had been that day…

I remember how she played the notes beautifully, and how her voice sent a chill through my spine, and my heart swelled with happiness watching her enjoy the gift I had given her.

I hadn't spoken with her in a couple of days, seeing how she had our shifts changed to where we didn't work together, and as much as I tried to get there earlier or leave later, depending on when she was supposed to be there, I never caught up with her. I missed her.

I walk over, running my fingers along the guitar, and smiling to myself, when I realize what I need to do. I need to send her the guitar… I wanted her to have it. I felt that if that would be the only thing she kept, it would be a tiny part of me with her.. So I made a mental note to arrange for it to be sent to her, and then I finished getting ready, and got into my car and left for my parents house. I pulled up to their house not even 10 minutes later, shutting the car door behind me and making my way up to the door. I raise my hand to knock, but before my hand hit's the door, it flys open and my mother shoots herself at me, grabbing me in the tightest hug.

"Hi Mom." I manage to get out, and she chuckles before pulling back and smacking me on the arm.

"Is it a crime to call your mother every once in a while these days?" she says, turning with my hand in hers and walking inside the house. I roll my eyes and laugh as we make our way into the living room where my father is sitting, glasses pushed far down his nose, and his head in a book.

"Hey Dad." I say, and he looks up, and smiles, tucking the book away in the side of the couch and getting up and walking over to me, pulling me into what I like to call, a man-hug, and patting me on the back.

"How ya been, son?" he says, and I want to tell the truth. I want to talk with someone about it… but I figure all that can wait until later, so I tell him a quick answer of "Fine" and we spend a couple of minutes discussing random things, like the weather and the score of the game last night.

A couple minutes later, my mother comes out and tells us dinner is ready, and we file in, and dine on my mothers amazing cooking. I practically inhale her baked chicken and stuffing, along with the mashed potatoes and the green beans, smiling when my mother asks me if I've been eating well. If only she knew I hadn't been eating well for the past couple of days… when my heart was ripped from my chest, and I lost the desire to do anything but mourn.

"So, Edward. I thought for sure you would bring the girl you had talked about last time we talked to you…Bella was it?" my mother asks, and I feel as if there is a knife in my chest, and her words are twisting it, causing the pain to intensify.

"Uh. No… We're… um.. She left me." I say, fighting back the tears threatening to escape. My father and mother look at one another, before turning their stares to me, and my mother reaches her hand over and grabs mine, and begins to speak softly.

"What happened… the way you sounded last time we talked… well, I was sure you were over the moon in love…" she says, looking up at me.

"I was…. I am.." I start, and her eyebrows raise up as she looks to me, to my father and then back to me, and I decide then to tell them…

I tell my parents about Lauren, and about the baby, and finding out it was mine. I told them how I kept it from Bella, not wanting to risk losing her when I was so sure the baby wasn't mine… and I told them how she left me, taking my heart with her.

My father's anger was apparent on his face, and he soon raised himself from his chair, and walked out of the room, without saying a thing to me. My mother stayed, looking up at me as her eyes glazed over and the tears started to slip down her face.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry.." she says, reaching over to pat my hand again. I feel the tears start to fall down my face, and I nod, acknowledging that I heard her before she starts to speak once again. "Edward. I know you're hurt, and your upset Bella broke it off with you.. And as much as I can't stand Lauren…. I want you to know that I'm ok, if not excited, about the baby." she says, a small smile playing at her lips as her eyes are red and watery.

"I know, Mom. I figured you would be."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIIOOIOIOIOI

My mom questioned me for a while longer, asking how far along Lauren was and asking about our plans. I didn't see my father at all the rest of the night, and as I left, my mother promised she would talk to him about it.

A couple of days later, on my day off, I grabbed Bella's guitar, placing it in the guitar case and jumping into my car. I had spent the entire night before writing a letter to put in the case for her. I couldn't figure out what to say to her, and after many failed attempts at trying to put my feeling down on paper, and many little wads of imperfect letters scattered on my floor, I finally was happy with what I put, even if it wasn't much. I got to the shipping place a couple minutes later, filled out the paper work to send it to her, and handed it off to have it sent. I got a couple of crazy looks from the workers, wondering why I didn't just drop it off at Bella's address, but they didn't ask questions, just promised it would get there.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Time went by so slowly without Bella in my life. I had tried contacting her numerous times, only for it to go straight to voicemail in the beginning, but most recently, I get the message that the number has been disconnected. I still talked to Jasper and Emmett every now and then, but they wouldn't talk about her. Every question I asked about her was dodged, and they'd change the subject, which I kind of understood.

It had been weeks since I had seen her, and I was missing her terribly, but getting better at acting as if I was fine. I still accompanied Lauren to every doctor's visit, and she was nearing 18 weeks now. Just a couple of days ago, We had been in for an ultrasound, in hopes to find out the sex of the baby, but the baby was stubborn, just like me, and wouldn't show us if it was a he or a she. My mother accompanied us, and although she didn't know if it was a boy or girl, she still went out later that day and spent money on things for the nursery.

It was my day to go into work and work the whole day, so I got up early and went in, confused when I say Larry's car in the parking lot. I walked up to the door, and opened it, seeing Larry standing over the counter with a paper in his hand and a pen in the other.

"Larry? What are you doing here?" I ask him, walking past him into the back room to put my keys away.

"I have to change the schedule since we only have 3 employees now." he says, and my heart sinks as my gut tells me who left, but I refuse to believe it.

"Who left?" I ask, hoping I'm proved wrong. Hoping he tells me another name, any other name than hers…I stand there, looking at him and slowly he takes a breath and he looks up to me, saddness in his eyes.

"Bella."

* * *

**I know I sort of rushed by this, but it needs to be this way. This is Bella's story, not Edward's, so I just needed to get his stuff out of the way to continue with Bella. We will check back with him from time to time, but at this point I don't see him having his own chapter for a little bit. **

**I've gotten a couple of new readers this past week, and I just want to say hi! and thanks for reading!**

**As always, thank you all. You guys rock my socks with your kind words, and sometimes hilarious ones.. :) **

**Thanks for reading, and see you soon. ;)**

**-Ana**


	20. Chapter 20: Mr Right?

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 20: Mr. Right?

I keep my eyes down, fighting with myself to keep my eyes straight ahead, and not look in my rearview mirror. I know he's still standing there, and I know that if I look back, and see his eyes meet mine in the mirror, I'll lose it. I'll lose the fucking strength to do what I need to do

It hurt. It was excruciating seeing the look on his face when I told him I couldn't do this, but it had to be done. Edward had a lot on his plate right now. He was going to be a father. I started to cry harder as I thought about that. All I can see is Edward, the man that I love, holding a baby, his baby, and what hurt the most was knowing that it would never be me.

Edward will never again call out to me as he walks through the front door after work. He will never caress every inch of my skin as we lay in bed together. He will never make love to me, bringing me to the edge and back repeatedly, whispering how much he loves me.

Nothing. There will never be anything between us, all because of the lies.

I might have been able to deal with this situation. If he had outright told me about this sooner, I might have had the chance to get used to it, and I would have encouraged him to be a father and take care of his child, but I couldn't stand by him after what he did.

I wipe the tears from my eyes as I make my way through the dark streets of town, whizzing past street lights, and buildings as I make my way back home. Ever since finding out about Edward's lies, I've been back at the apartment with Alice. It's just us two living there, since Rosalie moved out after her wedding. After I showed up at the door, crying and practically hysterical, Alice pulled me in and immediately called Rose, and they spent that night up with me, letting me cry it out, and rant about what had happened. They were furious when they found out what Edward had done, and I practically had to beg Rose not to leave when she tried to walk out, saying she was going to find Edward, and castrate him.

I finally pull up to the apartment, and get out, walk up to the door and put my key into the lock. As step in, and my eyes fall on Rose and Alice as they sit in the living room, their eyes snapping to mine, silently asking if I'm all right. At this point the tears are still falling down my face, but I'm numb.

"Hey babe. Are you Ok?" Rose asks, and I nod my head, and sniffle as I throw my bag and keys onto the counter.

"What happened today?" Alice asks, knowing that Edward and I worked together today. I walk over to the couch, and throw myself down in between them, and sink deep into the cushions.

"I told him I couldn't do it. Then I told him to go and take care of his family.." I say, my chest tightening at the mere mention of it.

"What did he say?" Alice asks, reaching over and rubbing my knee cap lovingly, and soothingly.

"He told me he loved me. And that he wasn't going to stop." I say, looking down at my lap as the tears leave wet spots on my sweat pants.

"Fuck Him!" Rose practically growls, showing the look of disgust with Edward on her face. "He doesn't deserve you! He never did! He think he can just do this? Hurt you and lie to you, and that you're just going to run back to him like a sad little puppy. I don't fucking think so." she says, clutching her fists so hard together that I'm sure her acrylic nails are digging uncomfortably into her palm.

I know that my friends are there for me, and it makes me happy to have that with them. Knowing that they're here to help me with my problems, when no one else is, is comforting. I've never been able to come to my mother with things like this, especially after she got married to Phil, so the fact that she is no longer in my life, means nothing. Charlie, my father, is kind of a 'don't ask, don't tell' man when it comes to my love life. Since I was living with him when I was 14, that meant he got the privilege of telling me about sex, which sort of went like 'Just don't do it… and if you do.. Be safe." my father was never one for getting technical.

"Guys, I'm going to go to bed. Thanks." I say, patting both their knees as I push myself up and make my way to my bedroom.

"Ok, Remember, Alice is here, and I'm just a phone call away, if you want to talk." Rose says, and I turn and nod my head, giving a small smile before turning back around and walking into my room, and shutting the door behind me. In the privacy of my own room, I throw myself on my bed, letting the tears fall freely and fast down my face as I think about all I've lost in the past 48 hours. Not only have I lost the love of my life, the promise of a future with this man, but I've also lost, what I feel, was one of my best friends.

There's no way my heart will ever be whole again.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

"Bella. C'mon. You need to get out and have fun….. " Alice says, shaking me as I sit on the stool at the counter, sipping my tea. I set the mug down, and swallow the warm liquid as I look over to her.

"What am I supposed to do, Alice?" I ask her, looking down at her.

"Bella. It's been like 2 weeks. I know it still hurts, but it's time you got back out there. I mean, I thought you were searching for the perfect man?" she says, and I chuckle. That search seems so silly, especially since I thought my search was over and that I had found my perfect man.

"So, what do you think I should do, Alice? Go out to the bar, and whore myself. Hope that the next man I grind on is 'the prefect man'?" I ask, and she huffs and pulls up the stool next to me, and practically climbs to get up on it.

"No. but…" she starts, and she gets a crazy look on her face. Her eyes grow wide, and she gets a devilish grin on her face. "Hey. Whatever happened to that guy you told us about… the cop who pulled you over.." she says, and I already know where she's going with this, so I shake my head and turn back to grab my tea.

"No. I don't think so…" I say, and she grabs my arm with both her hands and shakes me, sending the tea sloshing around in my mug.

"Bella. Call him. You need to get your mind off of Ed- um. What's his face." she says, knowing I can't really hear his name without losing it. I set the mug down, and look over at her. Deep down I know I'm not ready to move on yet, I still need some time to heal from the breakup with him, but I know that it would make my friends feel a hell of a lot better if I wasn't moping around all the time.

"I'll think about it, Alice." I say, and hop off of the stool. I grab my bag and keys from the counter, and make my way out. I don't work today, but I have some errands to run so I say goodbye to Alice, and walk out of the apartment, on my way to go and pay some bills.

I'm out all day, taking care of things and then doing a little shopping. By the time I get home, it's well after 6 and as I walk up to the front door, bags in hand, I set the bags down and reach for the keys, since I know Alice is with Jasper tonight. I place the key in the lock, and turn hearing the click as it unlocks, and then I take my key out, and push the door slightly open as I reach back down to grab the bags. Bags in hand, I push the door open with the bags and walk in, kicking the door shut with my foot. I make my way to the hallway, to set my bags in my room when my foot hits something and I hear as the object moves slightly. I furrow my brows, wondering what the hell Alice left in the middle of the living room, and I reach over, feeling along the wall for the light switch. Once the light is on, I bend over to look, and that's when I see it.

Laying on the ground, is my guitar case. The black hard case sits there, gold locks shining brightly from the lights in the ceiling. I don't need to open it, I don't think I can. I know that laying in that case, is my Gibson acoustic guitar, the one Edward had gotten for me. I remember when I had first mentioned we go and get me a guitar to learn how to play, Edward practically dragged me to the music store. After looking at the selection they had in the store, I picked a nice starter one that was about $200. I was ready to call an employee over to ring it up for me, when Edward stopped me, calling the guy over himself and pointing to the $5,000 Gibson. I argued with him, telling him I didn't need such an expensive guitar, but he wasn't having any of it. He told me it would be a gift, and that I shouldn't fight over something that someone wants to give to me.

Of course, we walked out of the store that day with the guitar, and when we got back to his place, he showed me how to tune it, and then settled the guitar in my lap, showing me how to hold it. He sat behind me, hands on mine as he showed me which notes to play, and how. We went on for days, him showing me what to do and I finally got the hang of it.

I couldn't look into the case. I knew seeing the guitar would bring back memories of him and I. Things said, whispered promises, and I couldn't handle it at the moment. So I picked up the case, and carried it into my room, opened my closet door and pushed the case way back into the closet, where I wouldn't have to see it everyday.

I wanted to cry, and scream and call him, ask him why he would send this to me, knowing how it would make me feel. But I didn't do any of that, instead, I grabbed my phone, scrolled through the numbers until I reached the one number I hadn't ever used, and pressed send.

It rang a couple of times, before his voice said hello, and a smile pulled at my face as I took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Hi Mike. It's Bella…."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Mmmm. That was delicious!" I say, bringing the cloth napkin up to my mouth and wiping away any food particles left on my face.

"Isn't that the best cheesecake you've ever tasted?" Mike says, putting his fork down on the empty plate in between us. I nod my head, and close my eyes, savoring the last bit of taste from my mouth before opening them and smiling over at him. Mike and I had been out almost every day for the past couple of weeks. He was really an amazing guy, and I found my heart healing more and more each day that I spent with him. He took my mind off things, and for the first time in a long time, I started to go back to normal.

"Thanks for bringing me here." I say as we stand up, him throwing some money on the table and walking around to stand next to me then wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Thanks for coming with me." he says, and I smile up at him, and reach behind him to grab at the fabric at the back of his shirt. Together we walk out of the restaurant, and over to his car, as he reaches out for the door handle of the passenger side and opens it, keeping his hand on the small of my back as I get in. He shuts the door behind me once I'm inside and walks around the car, getting in, but before he starts it, his body turns toward mine and he reaches his hand up and touches the side of my face and our faces move closer together. His warm lips press against mine, opening slightly and taking my top lip in between his. We kiss softly and sensually, him stoking my cheek with his fingers as I tilt my head and deepen the kiss, slowly edging my tongue out and tracing his lips with it. He moans softly into my mouth as I bring my hands up and dig them deep into his hair, pulling him closer to me.

After minutes of kissing like this, I gently pull away, unable to hide the smile on my face and the blush in my cheeks. He smiles at me, and puts his key in the ignition and slowly pulls out of the parking space, and drives off onto the street. His reaches over with his free hand and grabs mine, looking over at me quickly and raising my hand to his mouth, and placing a kiss on the outside. I smile at him, liking the feelings he brings out in me, although I know they will never be as strong as they were with Edward.

It still hurts a bit to think of him, but I can finally say his name without wincing. I haven't seen him in a while, and although he's tried to call me in the past, I couldn't talk to him. I couldn't give in and ruin everything I had worked for and suffered through. So I changed my phone number.

"I get off early tomorrow, so I'll pick you up around 7, and we'll start our weekend…" Mike says, and I smile as he pulls into my apartment parking lot. I know it was soon, but Mike had asked me if I wanted to go away for the weekend. I needed to move on, I needed to see if this with Mike could go anywhere, if we could take the next step in out relationship and finally, I needed to see if I could forget about Edward.

"Sounds good. I already heave tomorrow and Saturday off, and I'm not supposed to go to work until Sunday night." he nods his head as he stops and puts the car in park, and then leans over to kiss me one more time, before I grab my bag in my hand and say goodbye to him, promising to text him later. He smiles, and I move to get out of the car, and step out. I wave to him as I reach my door, and he waves back, and waits for me to go inside before driving off.

I walk into my living room, taking off my heels along the way to my room and tossing them to the floor, and rubbing my feet. Walking around in heels all night is something I'm not sure I'm used to yet, but Alice and Rose swear they make your legs look better, and with the dress I was wearing tonight, my legs deserved to look good. I reach around behind me, grabbing the zipper in my hand and pulling it down, loving how with every inch I pull down, I'm able to breathe more freely. I reach the end, and tug my arms out of the dress, and pull it down, leaving me in just my strapless bra and panties. I walk to my dresser, and pull out a pair of pj's and slip on the Capri cotton pants, and the tank top.

After washing my face, cleaning off the makeup, I get in my bed, and fall fast asleep.

It was the first night, in weeks that Edward's face didn't invade my thoughts before I went to sleep.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The following day, I woke up early, running to the bathroom as soon as I was awake and showering to prepare for my day. I decided to dress casually, in a pair of dark denim shorts, and a white tank top and flip flops. I ran some mousse through my hair, and let it air dry, letting it wave naturally.

I walk out to the kitchen, and notice that Alice isn't up yet, so I start to coffee maker for us, and lean back against the counter as I wait for it to finish brewing. A couple of minutes later, Alice comes out of her room, in her robe and slippers, her short hair a mess all over her head.

"Mmmm You made the coffee?" she asks, and I laugh, and grab her mug from the dish rack and fill it with some. I hand it to her, and then sip on my own. "You excited for the weekend?" she asks, and I can't fight the blush that comes to my face.

"Yea. I think I am." I say, smiling into my mug.

"Well, have fun and be safe and don't forget to call me when you get there." she says, and I laugh, drinking up the last bit of my coffee, and rinsing the mug in the sink.

"Of course. I gotta go, I have to go shopping." I say, and she smiles, and blows me an air kiss as I make my way to the door.

I get into my car and make my way to the mall, preparing myself for a day of shopping. I want to buy all new stuff for the weekend, starting with some sexy lingerie. I pull into the parking lot of the mall 10 minutes later, and make my way inside, and over to Victoria's secret. I pick out a couple of bra's and panties first, and then walk over to the sexy lingerie. I pick out a lace and mesh dotted baby doll in black and a pink, sheer chiffon baby doll, knowing that when Mike sees me in these, I won't be wearing them for long.

Mike an I hadn't taken that next step in our relationship, at first I was afraid to, but now after getting to know him like I have for the past couple of week, I know it's time, and I'm ready for it. The weekend is planned, a nice penthouse hotel room, champagne, food, and a bed is all we need to make this time perfect. And I fully intend on doing that.

Mike would pick me up from my house, and we'd drive to the Alexis hotel on the Seattle waterfront, and we'd spend the next couple of days enjoying each others company and getting to know each other more. I couldn't wait.

I leave the store, my new sexy stuff in my pink stripped bag, and make my way to a couple of clothing stores, taking me time to look through the racks and pick a couple of outfits for when we actually do leave the hotel. I pick out a two dresses, two pairs of pants and two shirts, and take them up to pay for them. I take my phone out, and see a text from Mike saying 'Can't wait to see you tonight.' and I smile, and text back, 'Me too. See you soon xoxo'

I smile and place my phone back in my pocket, feeling and hearing my stomach growl, when I realize it's after 1 in the afternoon. I make my way to the food court in the mall, grabbing a slice of pizza and a drink and making my way over to a table to eat it. I practically inhale the pizza because for some reason, 'Mall Pizza' is the best pizza ever, and drink up my drink and I'm back shopping in no time. I take my time, strolling around the mall and picking up a nice pair of earrings and bracelets when ever I'd see them, and then I walk into a bigger store to grab some shoes.

It doesn't take me long to find some shoes I like, but after I have them in the cart, I stroll around the store, looking at everything. I turn the corner from the kitchen stuff, and come smack dab right in the middle of baby land. The pinks, blues, greens, yellow's and purples of the baby clothes has me awe-ing and smiling as I see them. Suddenly, I wonder if Edward has starting buying anything for his baby. I wonder if he's been in this section before, smiling as he looks at the rows upon rows of baby things. I keep looking around, and come up to the stuffed animals, falling in love with a fluffy grey elephant that plays lullabies. I hold it up to my face, feeling the soft fibers of it against my face. I contemplate buying it and sending it to him, but at the end I decide that's not a good idea. I put the elephant back into the pile and turn to walk away when I hear a familiar voice. I turn around and see Edward's ex, aka the mother of his child standing near the baby clothes with another woman.

Her face turns and she sees me, recognizing me immediately and an evil smirk falls on her face as she looks over at me, and then back to the woman next to her.

"Esme, look at this! Do you think Edward would like this for the baby?" she asks, louder than she needs to because the woman is right next to her, but I know she's doing it just to hurt me.

Which it does.

"Awww. That is adorable. I think he would like it." the woman says, holding up the onesies with yellow ducks on them. She puts them in the cart and continues to look through the racks.

"Of course he would, he is your son after all. You gave him your impeccable sense of style..." she says, and that's when my heart sinks as I look at this woman. Her hair is the same reddish bronze as Edwards, and as she turns her head to the side, I can make out her green eyes. His green eyes…

I turn and leave right then. She was shopping with his mother. They were shopping together for the baby.

My once almost healed heart, chooses that moment to break itself again. Tears fall from my eyes as I make my way out of the store, leaving my cart right by the entrance and walking out of the mall and back to my car. I start my car, brushing away the tears from my face as I pull out of the parking spot, and make my way back home. In a way, this just made it even more real for me. I know for sure now, that there is no chance for anything between Edward and I, ever again.

Deep down inside, I guess I felt that maybe things would change, but I was denying it to myself. But now after seeing what I just saw right now, I know there was a reason that hope for us was buried deep down inside…

Because Edward and I can never be…

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

I get home, and immediately start to pack. I don't know how, but I somehow find a way to push back my emotions from seeing Edward's mother and Lauren at the store today, and the tears stop falling. I get the Louis Vuitton duffel that Rose let me borrow, and stuff all my purchases in there after I take the tags off. I leave of the outfit I'm wearing tonight, and lay it neatly on my bed, along with a powder pink lace matching panty and bra set.

I have just over an hour before Mike comes to pick me up, so I hop in the shower, and take my time shaving my legs until I know there isn't a hair anywhere to be seen, and scrubbing every single inch of my body. I step out, and do my hair and makeup, leaving my hair wavy once again and just putting some mineral powder on my face along with some sheer lip gloss.

I walk out to my bedroom, picking up the tight dark denim jeans that I have to squeeze myself into, and top it off with a tan colored cami and a tan colored tunic. I spritz on some perfume and then slip into my matching tan heels just as the doorbell rings.

My heels clack against the hardwood floors as I make my way from my bedroom to the front door, pull it open and come face to face with Mike. His hair spiked, as it usually is, and he's wearing a white button up that looks like it's made of linen or something like that, and loose fitting jeans. His smell permeates through the room, filling my nose with it's light, yet woodsy smell that I know to be his.

"You look beautiful… are you ready?" he asks, and I grin widely and nod my head, holding up my finger to tell him to wait a second as I run to grab my bag from the room. I come back out, and Mike holds his hand out for the bag, grabbing it in his hands and holding out his other for my hand. I lock the door to the apartment after making sure I had everything I needed, and together, we make our way over to his car.

Mike drives a Volkswagen Touareg, which I have to admit is pretty nice. He opens the door for me, as he always does, setting his hand on the small of my back as he guides me inside the car. Once I'm in, he shuts the door behind me, and walks around to the back, placing my bag inside the trunk and then walking up to the driver's side.

He reaches his hand out towards mine, grabbing it in his and kissing the back, asks me if I'm ready and when I nod, he starts the car, and we're on our way to the hotel. We get there quickly, and my door is opened by the hotel valet man, and I wait on the curb as Mike joins the bellhop in the back to grab the bags. As he tugs the bags from the trunk, I watch as a small, neon dinosaur falls out of the trunk and onto the pavement.

"Hey. You dropped something!" I tell him, watching as his eyes land on the toy, and he tosses it back into his car, shuts the trunk and then walks towards me.

"What was that toy doing in your car?" I ask him, and he smiles and shrugs.

"Must be my niece's." he says, and then wraps his arm around me, leading us up to the front desk. We're handed our keys after a bit, and together we make our way up to our suite. As soon as the elevator doors close, Mike and I practically crash against each other. His hands dig into my hair as he holds my head in place, kissing me fiercely as our tongues move sensually against one another.

All too soon, the ding of the elevator lets us know we've reached our floor, and we walk out and over to our room door, the only door on this floor. Our bags are already outside of the room, and Mike grabs them after he hands me the keycard. I slip the card into the slot, and as soon as the

light turns green, I open it, gasping when I see the room that is ours for the next two days.

The living room is decorated in only 3 colors, white, tan and light blue, and it feels immediately calming. I step in, smiling as I make my way to the large white couch, throwing myself down on it and sinking in to it's large cushions.

"This is beautiful.." I say, and I smile up at Mike, who drops the bags right there in the door way and comes stalking towards me. He leans down, capturing my lips in his, grabbing the side of my face as I moan into his mouth. Mike is an amazing kisser, he knows just how to move his lips and tongue in a way that leaves me breathless, but he still doesn't compare to Edward….

"Let's go see the bedroom…" he says, pulling away from me, eyes dark with desire. I nod my head, sucking my lip into my mouth and chewing on it as he grabs my hand in his and pulls me up and across the room to the bedroom.

The bedroom is done in the same way, blue's tan's and whites, and it's massive white and blue bed sits right in the middle of the room. The curtains are open and I can see the city lit up already from the large floor to ceiling windows and on a table near them, there is a bucket of champagne and a bowl of strawberries waiting for us.. I feel Mike wrap his arms around my waist and I melt into his arms, closing my eyes and sighing.

"How about you start running the bath, get comfortable, and I'll order us something." he says, and I smile, and agree, pulling away from him and into the bathroom where the large, two person hot tub is in the corner. I walk over, turning on the water, and after making sure the temperature is just right, I walk to the door, where there are two cotton robes hanging. I grab one, and walk over to the sink, pulling my clothes off, but leaving on my underwear and then slipping on the robe.

I walk out of the room and over to the table in the bedroom, pop the cork off the champagne, and pour a glass for myself, and one for Mike. I walk out of the bedroom, holding a glass in each hand and find Mike standing up by the end table where the telephone is. He hangs up, after ordering us dinner, and smiles as he walks over to me.

"Is this for me…" he says, and I nod and hold out the flute of champagne for him. He bites on his lip and slowly shakes his head, reaching out and grabbing my hips.

"I wasn't talking about the champagne." he says, and I feel as the blush rises up my neck and to my cheeks. He leans down, kissing my lips softly before pulling back and saying he's going to go put on his robe.

He comes back quickly and I hand him his champagne, which he quickly drinks, and then tells me to follow him into the room to fill it again. He fills his drink and by that time, the tub is full so we go into the bathroom, and he quickly takes off his robe, leaving him in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs.

"I figured you might want to keep something on for this part…" he says, smiling as he gets into the steaming water, and I nod, setting my glass on the edge of the tub and pulling the rope on my robe, and opening it. His eyes widen as he takes in what I'm wearing, and I swear I see a dribble of drool leave his mouth and run down his chin as he stares at me.

"Shit.. You're beautiful.." he says, holding out his hand for me to step into the tub. I throw the robe down to the floor, and bring my leg up and over the side of the tub, setting my foot into the warm water. I pull the other one in, and take a moment to let my body get used to the warmth of the water.

I'm about to sit down in the tub, when there's a knock at the door. I turn my head to the closed door, and look back at Mike who is groaning and looking very frustrated.

"That was fast. I guess the food is here." he says, standing up in the tub and reaching for his robe. "Do you want to eat first, or do you want to be in the tub?" he asks, and I think for a moment.

"Let's eat first… we have plenty of time to get in the tub." I say, and he nods and leans over to kiss me once again, before handing me my robe and telling me to wait for him in the bedroom. I get out of the water, slipping on my robe, and draining the bathtub. I start to walk out of the bathroom and into the bedroom when I hear what sounds like a smack…

And then the yelling starts.

* * *

**Next chapter will be up within the next couple of days. My son started school yesterday, so my days are kind of hectic, especially since I live a good 20 minutes from his school. **

**I know a lot of you are freaking out by what's going on in the story, but trust me, it will be Ok. If it helps, I'll have you know that I believe in happily ever afters and I can honestly say that this story will have one. **

**I'm looking for some new fics to read. If any of you know of any good ones, or maybe you write your own, let me know. I'm always up for reading new stories, especially from people who read mine :)**

**-Ana**


	21. Chapter 21: No Goodbye

Finding the Perfect Man

Chapter 21: No Goodbye

"_Let's eat first… we have plenty of time to get in the tub." I say, and he nods and leans over to kiss me once again, before handing me my robe and telling me to wait for him in the bedroom. I get out of the water, slipping on my robe, and draining the bathtub. I start to walk out of the bathroom and into the bedroom when I hear what sounds like a skin on skin smack…_

_And then the yelling starts. _

I stand there, shocked for a moment in front of the un-opened door, hand stretched out, hovering over the door knob. Deep down I know what's going on, but curiosity gets the best of me and I take a deep breath, and grab the door knob, twisting it my hand and walking out to the living room. Both of them turn their heads to look at me as I step into the light of the living room. Mike immediately shakes his head and lowers it, cradling it in his hand, and the woman narrows her eyes at me.

I'm not going to lie; the woman standing in from of Mike is beautiful. She's almost as tall as him, and very slim, except for a small bump underneath where her bellybutton would be. Her red hair, which is long and curly, is pulled back from her face, in a loose ponytail, and her eyes are hazel, and currently shooting daggers at me.

"Who the fuck are you?" she yells over at me, and I flinch as I look over to see Mike raise his head, and immediately start stuttering.

"Uh, she's m-my f-f-friend…. We're just here… Um" he says, stuttering like an asshole, unable to come up with a reason as to why we're here, even though he knows why we were here. We were at the hotel to take our relationship to the next level…

Shit. I was going to have sex with him and he has a girlfriend? How did I not know this?

The woman keeps her gaze on me, as she raises one of her hands to silence Mike.

"Who are you?" she asks, not quite yelling this time, but still talking loud enough to get the point across that she's upset.

"I'm Bella. I'm dating Mike. Or was…" I say, being completely honest with her. I feel she deserves that after finding him in such a predicament.

"Well, Bella… I'm Victoria. Mike's Wife…" she says, narrowing her eyes at me, and looking as if she wants to kick my ass.

Why is it that when a woman finds out her husband, or boyfriend is cheating, they immediately want to take it out on the other woman? I mean, I understand if the woman was a friend or a family member or someone that knew of the two of them together, but if it's just some random woman, why would you take it out on her? Most likely she doesn't know, and also, she's not the one who made the commitment to you…. Your husband/ boyfriend did.

"I didn't know he was married…" I say, looking over to Mike who is now looking up at me with the most pathetic look on his face. The sound of another smack echoes through the room, and I see as Mike's head snaps to the side, and his face shows the pain from the hit.

The yelling starts again, but I don't take the time to listen. I turn around, and walk back into the bedroom, and then into the bathroom, grabbing my clothes from the floor in front of the sink and quickly shrugging off my robe. I slip my clothes on quickly, and then search for my shoes, finding them after a couple of minutes. I know my bag is out in the living room, so I start to walk back out there, only to turn back around when I remember the bottle of champagne on the table in the room. I pick it up, shaking the bottle and hearing the liquid swish around before stepping out into the living room once again.

"How could you do this to me; did you even think about your son in all of this? What about the baby that I'm carrying right now? Did you think about that?" she yells, and I walk over to them, and Mike's face shoots up and his eyes land on mine as I lift the bottle upside down over his head, pouring the rest of the champagne on top of his head. Once the last drop has fallen on him, I toss the bottle to the floor, and walk over to where my bag is, scooping it up and heading for the doorway.

"Bella wait! Fuck, Bella!" he yells out at me as I walk through the door, but I don't stop. I reach the elevator, and press the button, waiting impatiently for the elevator to land on this floor. The elevator dings, and the door opens, just as I hear Mike and his wife's shouting get louder. I run in, and quickly press the close door button, but right before the doors can close, Mike's wife comes around the corner, tears filling her eyes as she holds her hand out to stop the door, and then steps onto the elevator with me.

We ride down in silence for the first couple of floors, only the sound of our breaths filling the space of the elevator. Maybe 6 floors until we reach the lobby, she turns to me, and starts to speak.

"Did you guys… ugh…" she starts to ask, and then her hand shoots up to cover her mouth as a look of disgust shows on her face. I don't even need to ask her what she's trying to say.

"No. We didn't." I say, looking back up at the lighted screen, showing me which floor we're on. We're only 2 floors from the 1st floor now, when she speaks again.

"He said he's bored with me. That all I want to do is stay home… I'm not exciting to him anymore." she says, and I can see the tears falling quickly down her face as she tries to look anywhere but at me.

"He's an asshole." I say. A small smile tugs at her lips as she looks up at me, and nods her head. The doors open, and I go to step out, and as soon as I pass the doors, she clears her throat. I look back at her, still in the elevator with one hand clutching her stomach.

"Do you want him? I mean… do you want to be with him?" she asks, voice quivering and tears running down her face. It hurts to think that this beautiful woman in front of me is crying for a man. ; A no good one, at that. I shake my head.

"I've had enough Assholes, and liars to last me a lifetime. You don't need him either." I say, and turn, walking away and to the front desk. I tell the man behind the desk that I need a cab, which he quickly calls and tells me they'll be here in a couple of minutes. As I sit down on one of the loungers, I let my mind wander, and think about all the stuff I've been through.

Why is this always happening to me? Why am I the one to always have to deal with things like this?

Jacob, the guy who was supposed to be my first love, cheated. Now Edward, who I loved with everything I had, lied to me. It's always happening to me, and I don't know why.

And I'm sick of it.

Where are all the good men? The men who don't need to love a million different women. The men, who can love one, and only one, Treat her right, make her happy, and make a life with her. Where are the men that don't lie, that are straight forward about everything they need to be straight forward about. The men want to be there….

Where are the Jasper's, or the Emmett's?

When will I find someone who I can love, without having to worry about getting my heart broken and stomped on?

Right now, my answer was 'never', because every man seems to put on a good show for me, making me think their something their not, only to hurt me in the end.

I was sick of thinking of Edward, and wondering what he's doing. I was sick of having to fight with myself, and keep myself from driving over to where he was, and throwing myself in his arms. I was sick of forcing myself to put down my phone when I had the urge to call him, just to hear his voice.

And most of all, I was sick of feeling what I feel for him. Sick of knowing that I loved him, in fact, still loved him, with all my heart, but knowing that the damage had been done and we could never go there again.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The cab came after about 20 minutes, and I tried my best to keep from crying the whole way home. When I finally got there, I got my keys out, letting myself into the darkened apartment. I felt along the walls for the light switch, flicking it on when I finally found it and walking inside, kicking the door shut and dropping my bag on the ground.

The apartment, which had once felt comfortable, and like home to me, was now empty and filled with memories I didn't want to remember. Like the first day I met Edward. The day after our almost kiss. The day after we made love…. All things I didn't want to and couldn't think of. Worst of all was the fact that for the weeks leading up to me finding out about what Edward had been keeping from me, his home had become like my new home. I was sleeping, eating and spending most of my time there with him, so this apartment didn't feel like mine at all when I came back.

There was no where I belonged.

I dragged myself into bed, not wanting to think anymore about any of it, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, a tear slipped out from my eye as I realized what I needed to do.

I woke up the next morning, feeling as if I had been run over by a truck. Every part of me ached, and my eyes felt like they had not been shut at all. My pillow was soaked, and spots of my mascara stained the yellow pillowcase where my tears had hit the fabric. Although my mind was hazy, what I needed to do was clear. I got up from the bed, and instead of doing my morning routine of staring out in the bathroom first, I went straight to my dresser, digging through the top drawers where I kept random papers, cards, bills etc, and searched until I found the small business card I was looking for. The card I had been given at the convention just weeks ago.

I had seen the man pretty much the whole time we were at the convention. He would pass by the booth, looking at things, and other times, would just watch me for a little while. I was getting pretty irked out, and by the last day, when I caught him looking over at me from the walkway after Edward had gone to get me food, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Excuse me!" I had yelled out, looking right at him. "Can I help you with something, or are you just some creepy stalker that I'm going to have to beat the crap out of?" I said, meaning it to the core. I bet I could have taken him. He just looked at me, shocked for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"No. No, I'm not a stalker, hunny. My name is Chris Lock; I own a chain of shops all along the west coast. I'm just watching you because I like the way you run things in here. What do you do at…" he looks up at the sign above our booth, and then looks back to me. "The Original Bookstore"?" he asks, and I furrow my brows at him, and reach my hand up to run through my hair.

"Uh. I'm the assistant manager." I say, and he chuckles, and walks closer to me, holding out his hand, as he looks at me.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" he asks

"Bella." I say, pulling my hand from his after I feel there's been enough shaking of the hands.

"Well, Bella. Do you want to be an assistant manager for the rest of your life? Or would you like a job that will give you different options?" he asks, and by then, I'm curious to what he means.

"What kind of options? Starring in the films you sell? No thanks." I say, and I'm about to turn around, when he starts to speak again.

"My business' make millions every year and it's not all adult shops. I have a full team behind me, and you could join that. You would start out working in my stores, but by what I've seen these past few days, I have no doubt that you would be working your way up the ladder in no time." he says, smiling up at me. He has kind eyes. They're the first thing I noticed when I saw him, but since I thought he was a psycho person….

"Have you been to college, Bella?" he asks, and I nod my head, telling him what I majored in, and if possible, his grin grows wider.

"Listen," he says, digging into his pocket and pulling out a card. "I'm opening a new store, in California. It won't be ready for maybe 2-3 months, but I would get you out there as soon as possible, and start to train you. You'd of course get paid for that, and as soon as it opened, I'd want you in there as manager. Then we can see where you go from there." he says, and all I can do is smile politely. I look up at him, and see Edward walking up behind him.

"Well, thank you so much. I'll let you know." I say, trying to end this conversation quickly.

"Sure thing, honey. I can see you doing big things…" he says, as he winks at me, and then turns, almost smacking right into Edward, before walking around him.

I lied to Edward then. I told him the watered down version of what I'd been told, but since I knew I wouldn't leave him, I felt he didn't need to know all of the details. But at this moment, this card was my savior. It would take me away from this town, this apartment, these memories, and it would let me start new ones, far, far away.

And I was ready for it.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Chris seemed surprised to hear from me, but he was excited nonetheless. I told him I was able to go down there, if he still needed me, and he told me he did.

"I knew you would call, so I kept it open." he said, and I didn't care why he thought that, because he had been right and all that mattered was me getting out of here. He told me to get over there as soon as possible, saying that he would reimburse me for all travel costs, and put me up in a hotel until I was able to find an apartment. Once I got there, I would get a car sent to me, and drive to their main headquarters, where I would train. The store was opening next week, and that would be when I'd start. I hung up with him, thanking him for keeping this open for me and telling him I'd see him soon.

It was done. I was leaving. Leaving my old life behind, and starting a new one. A new one with no drama, no liars, no cheaters… No memories.

I dialed my father's number after a while, telling him about what had happened, and asking if he'd help me get things situated, and he told me he was on his way. I could hear the smile in his voice as he said he was getting into the car then, saying he was going to drive over here. He told me he was proud of me, telling me that I deserved better than what my job at the little shop could do for me. I hung up with him after he got on the highway, and alone, I sat in my room… and I cried.

Although I was leaving all the bad things in my life behind, I was leaving some good things behind as well. Rose and Alice, for instance; we had been best friends forever, always there for each other, and leaving was bittersweet, because both of them had been family when I was lacking one.

I would have to leave Tony and Angela, two people that had become very important in my life. I would have to leave Larry, a man that gave me a chance at a job when I couldn't find anything else, and didn't know what I was going to do with myself.

And although I didn't want to think about him, Edward's name flashed through my mind. I would leave him as well, and I was happy about it. I wouldn't have to deal with seeing his ex, or girlfriend, whatever the hell she was to him now. I wouldn't have to see him with her, or with their child. I won't have to worry about running into him while he's with his happy little family…

I wouldn't have to see him and wish things had gone differently. I wouldn't have to see him, knowing I was still madly in love with him…

I would start over, and I'd be fine.

At least, that was the plan.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

I called Alice and Rose home early and told them what was going on… and we cried. We held on tightly to one another, knowing that the next time we saw each other would be a while off from now. They understood, they realized why I had to do this, and although it broke their hearts, I had their blessing.

"If you need anything…." Rose said, pausing to dab at her nose with a sheet of Kleenex. "You let me know. I'll jump on a plane in a second for you… you know that" she says, sniffling. I smile through my tears, and nod my head.

"I know that. I love you guys so much…" I say, a new wave of fresh tears pooling in my eyes before falling over the rim and onto my cheeks.

Before my father even got to my apartment, Alice had everything set up. There was a moving truck in the parking lot in front of the door, my room had been overtaken by packing boxes, and packing tape, and we had help, in the form of Jasper and Emmett.

"Ok, Bells. Is this one finished?" Charlie asks, pointing at the full box of my clothes that I had ripped from my closets and thrown in there.

"Yea. That one's done." I say from my spot on the floor in front of my dresser. Charlie closes the top of the box, hitting the side of the box with the tape thing-a-ma-jig and sealing it shut.

"This one's ready for you, Emmett!" he yells out, and Emmett comes barreling in, holding a half-eaten sub in his hand, and his mouth full of pieces of it.

"Sure thing, Chief." he says, tucking the rest of the sandwich in his pocket and bending over to lift the box up in his arms. He exit's the room, and I can't help but chuckle at him.

"That guy is a character, huh?" Charlie says, walking over to the bed behind me and sitting on the edge.

"Yea. He's great, though. I'm going to miss him." I say, sadness replacing my smile with a frown as I realize I'm not going to be able to deal with his crazy antics anymore. My fathers hand lands on my shoulder and he gives it a squeeze and I turn around to look at him.

"Why are you really leaving, Bells?" he asks, staring down at me with his deep brown eyes, which are identical to mine.

"It's an amazing opportunity. I have a better chance at being successful there…" I say, and my dad shakes his head, and blinks his eyes slowly, exhaling a long breath.

"The real reason, Bella. I know you. You'd never just leave like this…" he says, and as hard as I try to hold my emotions back, and I shake my head as I begin to cry, for the eightieth time that day.

"Was it…. Is it a guy, or something?" he asks, and I chuckle through the tears, and look up at him. Charlie's face shows that he is torn between wanting to know, and running for the hills at the mere mention of his daughter crying over a man.

I don't say anything, just slowly nod my head.

"Do I need to hurt him?" he asks, face dead serious as he looks at me, and all I can think of at that moment is that episode of "The Chappelle Show" when Wayne Brady says, "Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch?" Gets me every time. I start to laugh, and shake my head, as his mouth tugs up at the corners. We're silent for a couple of minutes, each of us thinking I guess, and after a while my father squeezes my shoulder and I look up to see him looking down at me, intently.

"Did you love him?" he asks, and without warning, a sob escapes from my throat and the tears start to trickle down my eyes faster. I slowly nod my head, and close my eyes, silently begging, praying that someday, I'll be able to think about him without feeling this pain. The feeling of emptiness he left when he went away and took most of my heart with him. My dad moves off of the bed, and sits next to me, puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me to his chest. He runs his fingers through my hair, and softly shushes me as I sob into his chest.

"It's ok, baby." He whispers, slowly starting to rock up back and forth as I continue to cry. "Whoever this jerk was, he didn't deserve you."

As much as it hurt to hear that, I couldn't help but agree.

IOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Did you get everything?" Charlie asks, and as I stare into my empty room, seeing nothing but the four walls, and the carpet, I nod my head. It had taken us most of last night, and a couple hours this morning to get everything packed and now there was nothing left, and it was time to go. "Ok, then. Let's hit the road, Bells." he says, and turns and walks out of the room. I stand there, looking around the room for a while longer, remembering the day we all moved in here, how excited we were to have our own place together. There was a lot of fun had in this apartment, and I will always hold the time I spent here with my best friends dear to my heart. I walk across the room, flicking off the light to the bathroom after making sure I have everything in there. I walk towards my closet then, flicking on the light as my eyes land on the guitar case.

I had been torn with what to do with it. I didn't know whether I should leave it for one of the girls, sell it or give it back to Edward. It was a real expensive guitar, and I loved it because he gave it to me, but the point of me moving was to forget about him….

But I couldn't let go of the guitar.

I walk into the closet, kneel down in front of the case and slowly run my hand over the hard, leather. I reach to the front, unlocking the locks on the front, and flipping the case open. I fight hard to keep the tears from falling as I look at my guitar for the first time in months.

"Bella! I thought you said you were ready?" My dad yells from the front door, and I sniffle, and shut the box, locking the case back up and picking it up by the handle. I rise to my feet, case in hand and am about to start walking when I feel something hit my foot. I look down to see a sheet of paper, folded in half on the floor near my feet. Puzzled, I bend down and pick it up and freeze when I see his handwriting on the front.

_Bella_

It says in his elegant script. I drop back to my knees, clutching the paper in my hand. I'm nervous about what is in this letter, knowing that even though its contents are not going to change my mind about the choice I'm making, but knowing it might make it a bit harder on me.

I take a deep breath, holding the letter in my hands as I shut my eyes, and open the sheet of paper. I open my eyes, and bring them down to the letter and begin to read through my tear filled eyes.

_The world is a more beautiful place when you play…_

_Don't stop._

_-E_

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

20 minutes later, I step up into the passenger side of the U-Haul, closing the door behind me and sticking my head out the window to take one good look at all I'm leaving behind. Rose, Emmett, Alice and Jasper stand near the door of the apartment, red and watery eyes all around after our goodbyes moments earlier. The next time I would see them would be a couple of months from now, when I came back up here for Alice's wedding, and even though it wasn't that far off, it was still a long time to be without my friends.

My dad gets in the driver side, slamming the door behind him and then turns the key in the ignition. The loud rumble of the engine makes me jump, and clutch at my chest which causes my dad to look over at me and chuckle. I roll my eyes, and stick my head out once more to say goodbye one last time to them.

"Call us when you get there!" Alice yells, and I nod, yelling back that I will. I settle in my seat, reaching over to grab the seatbelt, and click it on, looking straight ahead.

"You ready?" My father asks, and I take a deep breath, and look over at him, a small smile on my face.

"I'm ready…"

EPOV

I run out, not bothering to hear the rest of what Larry has to say. All I hear is that she's leaving; she called him this morning and told him she was leaving today….

And I couldn't let that happen.

I jump in my car, starting it and throwing into drive, hearing the sound of my tires squealing on the pavement as I push the gas pedal all the way down to the floor of the car. I swerve into traffic, barely missing hitting a couple of cars as I speed of towards her apartment. I'm not thinking straight, a million things run through my head, but only one makes sense at this point. I need to get to her, fast.

I'm pretty sure I've broken every traffic law known to man as I make my way to her apartment complex. Illegal lane changes, excessive speeding, running red lights… and I didn't care. I pull up to her complex, barely stopping and putting the car in park as I run out, and up to her front door. I bring my hand up, knocking like a crazy person, anxious to get to her, to stop her from doing what she's doing, because she belongs with me… always with me.

I hear the lock on the other side of the door click and the door gets pulled open. My heart jumps in my chest, waiting to see Bella for the first time in weeks, but it quickly, the feeling dissipates when I see not Bella, but Rosalie standing on the other side.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she asks, voice seething as she stares me down with a look of repulsion on her face.

"Please…" I say, holding out my hands to her, "I just need to talk to Bella…" I say, and she crosses her arms in front of her, and shakes her head.

"Bella's gone." she says, uncrossing her arms then, and reaching one of her hands up to the back of the door. "And it's all because of you…" she says, and pushes the door, sending it flying to my face. I step back, almost getting hit by the door as it slams shut.

She's gone… because of me. She's gone because of me

I stand there, frozen fro a moment before finally walking back over to where my car is parked on the side of the road. I get in, and let out a shuddering breath as I bury my hands in my hair and repeat the words again in the silent cabin of my car.

She's gone because of me…

* * *

**=(**

**I don't really know what to say... but please remember, this will have a happily ever after. Promise.**

**Rec: A Labor of Love by lizconno. Amazing. Go read it!**

**Until next time...**

**xo Ana**


	22. Chapter 22: Time

**Reminder: I don't own 'Twilight'. But this story is mine :)**

**Hope you guys enjoy the new POV at the end... **

* * *

Finding The Perfect Man

Chapter 22: Time

**2 years later. **

EPOV

"Liv! Don't shove so much into your mouth, hunny." I say, looking over at my daughter. She's sitting in the highchair, shoving some of those Gerber snacks into her mouth as if they were going to go out of style or something.

I walk over, smiling as I take some of the snacks off the tray, and slowly hand her snacks, one by one. She giggles and looks up at me as she pops each one in her mouth, chews, swallows and holds her hand out for more.

Olivia Beth Cullen was born 19 months ago at 5:45 in the morning. It was the best day of my life. After being with Lauren in the hospital for over 24 hours, my daughter was brought into the world, and as I held her tiny body in my arms, the world changed for me. The heartache I had felt by Bella's departure, slowly healed as the hole in my heart was filled with love for my daughter.

Since then, everything has been about Olivia, or 'Liv' as I call her. After she was born, I moved Lauren in with me. She slept in the guest room with Liv, but many nights I found myself walking down the long hallway and creeping inside, scooping up my daughter just to look at her, and hold her close to me. She was my world. Everything I did was for this little girl who fit perfectly in my arms, and I knew, no matter what, that it would always be this way.

I worked non stop, needing to make money so that my daughter could have everything she needed. My little girl was spoiled with love and everything else you could imagine, not only by me, but from my parents as well. My mother, who had been excited about the baby from the beginning, was ecstatic to be a grandmother and my father, who had not spoken to me for months after hearing about Lauren's pregnancy, came around and now was wrapped around Liv's little finger.

As I put in endless hours at the shop, I would still come home to take care of my daughter. I woke up with her in the middle of the night, I changed her, bathed her, fed her. I did everything. There were many nights where I would come home, hearing my daughter screaming from her crib, only to rush up to the room and see her there, red faced with tears streaming down her face as Lauren slept, undisturbed, a mere 3 feet away.

Before Liv even turned a month old, Lauren left. She told me she wasn't ready to deal with a baby and just wanted to live her life. She said she'd give me full custody of her, and not to bother with visitation.

Lauren had abandoned her own daughter and as much as it hurt to think that my baby would grow up without a mother, I still thought it would be for the best. Who needed a mother who didn't, and wouldn't love them as much as they loved their freedom?

So since that day, 18 months ago, I've been a single father.

I hand Liv the last snack from my hand and as soon as it's all chewed and swallowed, I wipe her hands and face with a wipe and pull her out of the chair and up the stairs to her room.

"Here, sweetie. Let daddy finish and then we can go to see Grandma and Grandpa!" I tell her, loving her big, toothy smile as she bounces up and down in her crib, gripping onto the railing. I give her a kiss on the forehead, sweeping her reddish brown hair to the side.

I turn around, and grab her little backpack from the floor of the closet, and raise it up to the top of the dresser and start packing her bag. Emmett, Jasper and Garrett had talked me into a weekend trip to California, and as much as I hated leaving Liv behind, a little getaway was just what I needed.

I finished packing her bag, swung it on my shoulder and went to grab my daughter from her crib. I walked down the stairs, grabbing my keys and my bag as soon as I hit the kitchen and walked out to the garage, placing her and both of our bags in the car and then getting in myself and backing up.

I got to my parents house quickly, but it took me forever to leave Liv. She kept looking at me with her big green eyes, and even though she was smiling, I couldn't help but feel like she would think I was abandoning her… even if I'd be back in 3 days.

"Go, son. She'll be fine." My mother said as she grabbed Liv's bag from my shoulder. I smiled, and kissed my daughter one last time before turning around and walking out to my car. I waved as I pulled out, smiling as I saw how tight my father held Liv to him. I could hear her yell "Papa" and giggled as he tickled her sides, and I slowly put the car into drive and drove away.

The drive to Garrett's house took awhile as I fought rush hour traffic, but I got there eventually. Emmett and Jasper were there as well, sipping on coronas on the front porch with their bags in front of them.

"I guess I'm driving to the airport, huh?" I yell from the car, and all of them laugh, sipping up the rest of their drinks and then tossing them into the trash and walking over to the car.

"Hey man. You ready?" Garrett asks as he gets into the passenger side. I nod my head, and dig my hands through my hair.

"It was rough leaving Liv, man…" I say, gripping onto the steering wheel with my free hand. Garrett reaches over, resting his hand on my shoulder.

"I know, man. But you need to get out. You haven't had a break since she's been born, ya know?" I did know I needed a little vacation. Although Liv was the love of my life, and the light of my eyes, I still needed some time for myself where I wasn't just 'Daddy'

Jasper and Emmett got into the car then, after putting their bags into my trunk and we made our way to the airport.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

After checking in and waiting at the gate for our flight, I went into the bathroom to freshen up for the flight, even though it would take a little under 2 hours to get to Sacramento. After splashing some water on my face, I grabbed a paper towel and dabbed my face dry.

Jasper and Emmett had remained my friends, even after what happened with Bella. They kept quiet when I asked about her; never telling me where she was or how I could get in contact with her. It hurt, knowing that they knew where she was but they didn't want to tell me, but I know she didn't want me to find her… neither did Jasper and Emmett's wives.

I'm surprised that they still were my friends, especially since I know their wives gave them a hard time about it. Many times the guys would tell me that they were in the doghouse for hanging out with me, and I can't remember how many times I told them it was ok, they didn't have to go against their wives' wishes just to remain friends with me, but they didn't care. They had become true friends to me.

I walk out of the bathroom, and walk back over to our seats where Jasper and Emmett are waiting, facing the glass wall overlooking the loading area.

"They're going to fucking kill us when they find out…" I hear Jasper tell Emmett.

"No they won't… they'll think it was a coincidence…" Emmett says, holding his hands in tight fists on his lap as Jasper scoffs.

"What's going on?" I say, as I walk past them, and settle into my seat in front of them. Both of them clear their throats, and Emmett nervously taps his foot as Jasper digs his hands deep into his hair.

"Nothing, Bro. Just talking…." Em says, and his eyes dart from mine to Jasper's before he rises up from his seat and walks over to where Garrett is standing talking to the woman behind the counter.

Jasper keeps his eyes down at his feet, unable to even look at me and I know he's hiding something…

"Hey. So, is Alice cool with you getting away this weekend?" I ask him

"Huh? Oh, um… yea." he says, lifting his head and finally looking at me, "She actually is going on her own trip this weekend…" he says.

Just before I can grill him some more, it's announced that our flight will start boarding. I grab my bag, and make my way up to the line, watching carefully as Jasper and Emmett engage in hushed talking…

Those two are up to something, and I doubt it's something good.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

BPOV

"Here's the file you asked for, Chris. I fixed all of the errors, and cleaned up the lines a bit." I say, handing Chris the manila folder, held shut by a paper clip.

"You're doing amazing work, Bella. Keep it up…" Chris says. I smile, thank him and turn and walk out of his office and down the hall to mine.

2 years ago, I left home. I left my friends, family and everything I knew, to move to a totally different place and start fresh. Charlie and I made the drive from Seattle to Sacramento, and he stayed with me for a week as I trained for my new job, and tried to get settled in. He helped me get my apartment, and a car, and after having him by my side for a week, helping me, it was hard to say goodbye to him. I held on to my father for what seemed like years as we stood in the airport, in front of the security line.

"If you ever need anything, Bells, just call me. Ok?" I nodded, my face still buried deep in his chest as he held me tightly to him. All too soon, he had to leave and I waved goodbye to him, and made my way back to my silent apartment.

It was at times like these, when I had nothing else to occupy my mind that I thought of him. His face would invade my mind, and I'd wonder how he was. Many times, I'd take out my cell phone with the intention of calling him, only to stare at the home screen and fight to keep myself from dialing.

I still had to live my life though, and I did. I worked hard in Chris' shop, proving to him what kind of worker I was, and it paid off a year after I got there. Chris made me Director of Operations at Lock, Inc, which was amazing. Not only did my salary get a huge bump up, but I was doing something I loved…

I was able to buy a house, a new car, and suddenly, it felt like there was nothing I was missing…

But there was.

Love.

I had tried dating. In fact, since getting to California, I had been on countless dates, but I always found myself comparing them to Edward. Their hair wasn't the same unruly bronze hair that I wanted to run my hands through. Their eyes weren't the deep green orbs that I wanted to get lost in. Their voice wasn't smooth and velvety, and it didn't make my insides tingle. Nothing was ever right with any of them, and I knew that I could never give my heart away to anyone else. Not because I didn't want to, but because I didn't even have my whole heart…. Most of it was still in Seattle. With him.

I didn't ask about him at all, and even if I had, I doubt the girls would have told me about him. They still hated him, from what I knew, and sometimes Rose would call complaining about Emmett and how he was still hanging out with Edward.

"After what he did to you! He's still going to be his friend!" she would yell into the phone, but I just let her rant, happy that I was able to at least hear that he still had Jasper and Emmett as friends. Even if the guys spent many nights sleeping on the couch after the girls kicked them out of the bedroom every so often.

Before Alice got married a couple of months after I moved here, she asked me if it would be ok that Edward was invited to the wedding. I laughed, and my heart ached as I told her that it was ok.

"The guys are friends with him! I'm not going to tell you that you can't invite someone to the wedding just because we're not speaking." I told her, and she kept begging me to say no, that he couldn't come. Alice wasn't as angry with him as Rose was, but she still showed her distaste for him every so often.

Knowing that Edward would be at that wedding, I spent a ridiculous amount of money on myself. Hair, nails, feet, wax and brand new clothes were bought for me, and I went back to Seattle, ready to see him. To let him know what he was missing out on.

But he never came.

Emmett said that he couldn't make it because Lauren had been complaining of pains, and he went with her to the hospital instead. I knew Lauren did it on purpose, bitch that she is, but I was actually kind of relieved that I wouldn't see him. It had only been a couple of months, and things were still fresh and I didn't want to do something foolish that I'd regret. He needed to be with his family, no matter how much I felt like his place was with me.

While I loved Sacramento, I was bored. My life was nothing but work and sleep and sometimes eating, so I needed to find something to do with my free time. I decided to take up guitar lessons, seeing as how my beautiful guitar sat in the back of my closet, doing nothing but collecting dust when it should be played. I told myself time and time again that I was doing this for myself, and although I loved playing, Edward was the main reason I continued to play.

Every week for over a year, I went to guitar lessons. I had improved so much over that time, that a friend and coworker of mine, Lisa, suggested I play at an open mic night at a bar she frequented. The first time I played up there in front of all those people, was nerve wracking, but I did it, and at the end they cheered. I've done it a couple of times since then, and Lisa was always begging for another performance.

"Bella! C'mon, you have to play tonight!" Lisa says. I look up from my computer and smile but shake my head.

"I can't. My best friends are here from Seattle…" I tell her. Alice and Rose decided to spend the weekend in California with me, and I was happy to see them. It had been too long since I saw them last, and I was missing my girls terribly.

"Bring them! It'll be fun. I'll get to meet Ali and Rose, and they'll get to hear you play!" she says, jutting out her bottom lip and giving me a pout. I scoff and look back at the screen of the computer.

"I'll see…" I say, and she squeals, and jumps in the air before running out of my office. Lisa was a good person, and we clicked immediately after I started working here. She was the perfect mix of my friends back home. She was strong and beautiful like Rose, and perky and loyal like Alice. I knew they'd get along great. My phone rings just then, and I reach over looking at the caller id and smiling when I see Rose's name flash across the screen.

"Hey bitch. Are you guys here yet?" I ask her as soon as I pick up. I hear the whooshing of air and the sound of car horns.

"Yes. We just got here, and we're on our way to your place now."

"Ok. You got the directions to my house, right?" I ask, and she tells me yes, and I remind her where I hid my key so they can let themselves in.

"Yes. We'll be here going through your shit when you get home." she says, chuckling. "What's the plan for tonight?" she asks, and I huff and roll my eyes.

"My friend, Lisa wants me to perform at the Black Cat tonight." I tell them. Alice and Rose had never heard me play or sing, and when I told them about me performing at the bar, they begged for the chance to hear me, but I always told them no. It was one thing performing in front of a bunch of strangers, but I was nervous as shit to perform in front of my best friends.

"Are you going to? C'mon Bella, we've never heard you!" Alice screams from the background. Rose must have me on speaker.

"Yea, yea. I'm going to do it. I'll be home at around 6, and open mic starts at 9, ok?" I tell them. We spend another 10 minutes or so on the phone, discussing what they should wear, before I have to hang up and actually get some work done.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

I got home a little bit before 6, and the girls were lounging on my sofa, watching repeats of 'Sex and the City' when I walked in the door. After our hello's and catching up with them, we all ordered some food, and ate before getting dressed to go to the bar.

The doorbell rang a little bit before 9, and Lisa stood on the other side, wearing some jeans that looked painted on, and a shirt that might be considered a bra. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head, and the spiked heels she wore make her hover a good foot over me.

I introduced the girls, and just like I thought, they hit it off quickly. I let them talk for a bit while I got dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a green tank top and matching flip flops. I never dressed up to play, I liked to be comfortable.

The girls, of course gave me hell for my outfit, but hey, they weren't the one playing tonight. I grabbed my guitar case and we all piled into my car. We got to the bar at 10 till 10, and walked in. Everyone greeted me, regulars knowing me from the times I've performed there and I smiled and talked with them for a bit before walking over to the bar and downing some liquid courage.

A couple minutes later, the announcer called my name and I smiled and left my friends at the table we had sat at, and made my way onto the stage.

Then I sat down on the lone chair on stage, and with the spot light shining on me, I started to play.

EPOV

The flight in was uneventful. We made in in right on time, and rented a car and went to check in our hotel. After we settled in, the guys and I made plans to do a little barhopping. We all got dressed quickly, and after I made a quick call to my parents to check on Liv, we left and walked the streets of downtown.

It was well after 9 by the time we made our way into a bar called The Black Cat. The vibe was good there, it was clean and there was an open mic night going on, so we decided to sit at a booth in the back and listen to the performers. The guys and I were pounding back shots, and sipping on our drinks when the announcer went on the stage after the guy who had been playing when we came in, finished.

"Alright, we have a treat for you regulars out there. Next up, our sweet little girl next door, B." he says, and the small crowd erupts in applause as I look back to Emmett and Jasper, about to ask them to order more drinks when I hear an acoustic guitar start to play, and then I hear _her_ voice.

_Take me now baby, here as I am_

_Hold me close, try and understand_

_Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe_

_Love is a banquet on which we feed_

My eyes dart to the stage where she sits, in a pair of shorts and a tank top, beautiful brown hair down past her shoulders and her brown eyes shut as she concentrates on the music. My heart jumps into my throat as soon as my eyes land on hers, and I can hear the gasps for Jasper and Emmett as they see Bella up there.

_C'mon now try and understand_

_The way I feel under your command_

_Take my hand as the sun descends_

_They can't hurt ya now_

_Can't hurt ya now_

_Can't hurt ya now…_

The crowd starts singing along with her, and clapping their hands to the beat. I hear as someone whistles from the back on the other side of the room, and I look, ready to hit someone for whistling at her when I spot Rosalie and Alice sitting at a table with another woman.

_Because the night, belongs to lovers_

_Because the night belongs to lust_

_Because the night, belongs to lover_

_Because the night, belongs to us_

I point out their wives to them as they both mutter a curse under their breath and try their best to cover their faces and go by unnoticed. I turn back towards Bella, watching her with probably the silliest looking grin on my face. She kept the guitar… and she plays it. I was sure she would toss it, or sell it, but she kept it. My eyes don't leave the stage as she continues the song, and once she finishes, I clap with tears in my eyes. She hadn't changed in two years. Her smile as she opened her eyes and looked upon the crowd was the same I had seen in her so many times, and it made my insides tighten. She still brought out the strongest emotions in me, and in that moment, as she looked at everyone in the crowd, waving and getting up to get off the stage, all I wanted to do was rush over to her, and pull her into my arms.

Before I could leave my seat, the crowd started chanting 'B' and she smiled, and settled back down in the chair, adjusting the mic in front of her.

"Um. I guess I can play another one. This next song means a lot to me. I've cried my eyes out listening to it many times, but I'm going to try not to cry tonight…" she says, and smiles as she looks down and settles her guitar on her lap.

She starts to play, and I immediately recognize the song. Then she starts to sing, and I lose it as tears fall down my face.

_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house, that don't bother me_

_I can take a few tears now and then and just let em out_

_I'm not afraid to cry_

_Every once_

_In a while_

_Even though_

_Going on _

_With you gone_

_Still upsets me_

_There are days_

_Every now and again_

_I pretend I'm ok_

_But that's not what gets me_

I can hear her voice start to crack as she begins the chorus, and I wipe the tears from my eyes and stand up from my chair.

_What hurts the most_

_Was being so close_

_And having so much to say_

_And watching you walk away_

_Never knowing _

_What could have been_

_And not seeing that loving you_

_That's what I was trying to do_

I get lost in her voice, and before I even realize what I'm doing, I'm moving through the crowd getting closer to the stage. She finishes the song and the crowd goes crazy, whistling, clapping, shouting, and before she can even see me, I hear a loud yell over the noise of the crowd, that immediately silences everyone in the room.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Emmett POV

It had been 2 years since Bella left, and although Edward looked much better than he had right after she left, we could still see the pain in his eyes and I know what caused it.

This weekend seemed like the perfect time to do it. Alice and Rose said they were going to a spa for the weekend, and we knew we'd be able to do his. It was time to get these stupid asses back together.

So Jazz and I made the plan. We would fly to Sacramento, and then… well, we really didn't know what then, but we knew where she lived, we knew where she worked and if we had to, we would go to either one. Rose didn't understand. She just saw the situation from the outside, and from what she saw, she hated Edward. But I knew him, and I knew of the struggles he went through, from finding out Lauren was pregnant, to having Bella find out, to dealing with losing her. He was a wreck, and it was time for that to end.

We invited Garret also, but kept him out of the loop of the main plan, in fear that he would open his big mouth and ruin everything. We got to the hotel, and quickly dressed and decided to roam the streets of downtown and do a little barhopping. After stopping at a couple of bars, we went into one called the Black Cat, where they were doing open mic, and decided to spend the rest of the night there.

After pounding back shots, we hear someone get on the stage and announce the next performer, and I look up at the stage, and my eyes widen, and I inhale a huge breath when I see Bella sitting on the seat with her guitar. I look over at Jazz, and our eyes meet and we scan the room, immediately seeing Alice and Rose in the back corner, smiling up as Bella plays. We slink back into our chairs, and try our best to go unnoticed and we nearly do…

Until Bella finishes her second song, and we notice that Edward had disappeared from his seat at the table and is almost up to the stage and we hear Rosalie yell from clear across the room….

And then, we realize that we are completely and utterly fucked.

* * *

**:P**

**'Because the night' was written by Bruce Springsteen, sung by Patti Smith, then 10,000 maniacs, then Cascada. All versions are awesome.**

**'What Hurts The Most' is sang by Rascall Flatts, and theres another version sung by Cascada... I love Cascada... :)**

**Some of you guys are probably freaking out that they were apart for so long... but hey, at least they're in the same building now!**

**I have no idea how many chapters are left in this story. If i were to guess right off the top of my head, I'd say 5 but I'm not sure...**

**Thanks for reading! Leave me some lovin' and i'll show you some back in the form of a preview of the next chapter. ;)**

**xoxo Ana**


	23. Chapter 23: What Hurts The Most

**I don't own 'Twilight', But I own this story.**

* * *

Finding the Perfect Man

Chapter 23: What Hurts The Most

_It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I goBut I'm doing itIt's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm aloneStill harder getting up, getting dressed, living with this regretBut I know if I could do it overI would trade, give away all the words that I saved in my heartThat I left unspoken_

I sing the chorus once again, fighting back the tears and trying to keep my voice from cracking. This song is something that I would let myself hear every now and then, when his face would invade my thoughts. It reminded me of him, and I felt as if it was written for me. A song that traveled through my body, touching every emotion I had inside of me and pouring it out perfectly. I had never played this song, until now and I don't know why I had the urge to sing it, but with the song, came memories of the past 2 years.

Images flooded my mind as I continued to sing. I saw the first time I heard this song after leaving Edward. I remember sitting in my car, driving home from work and hearing this song start to play on the radio. Tears had sprung to my eyes as I heard it, and although I wasn't a big country music fan, this song was undeniably beautiful. And heartbreaking.

I play the last note, and sing the last words, keeping my eyes closed as the music stops and the cheers start. I smile and open my eyes, blinking to clear my vision which has blurred with unshed tears. I stand from my chair, giving a small wave to the crowd as I move to walk off stage and that's when I hear Rose's voice yell above the crowd's noise.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?" she screeches, and suddenly the room starts to quiet down as everyone in the room turns to look towards the back where Rose is standing, fists clenched at her sides and eyes shooting daggers at someone towards the stage. I furrow my brow, wondering what happened to cause this reaction in Rosalie, and start to look around. Bringing my hand up to my face, I block at the harsh light from above and peer into the crowd…

And then my eyes meet _his_.

Edward is standing there next to the stage, staring up at me. The shock of seeing him so suddenly has made my once watery eyes even worse as tears fall down my face. Everything stops fro me in that moment. I no longer hear the chattering of the crowd, nor do I hear Rose's screams. Everything around me blurs and the only thing in focus is him.

A million emotions hit me at once, and I find myself reaching up and grabbing at my chest with my free hand, quelling the ache that has suddenly been brought on by seeing him. He looks the same, pretty much. The only thing I see different is his hair. His hair which was once long all over, and darting in every direction, is now cut closer to the scalp on the sides, but is still unruly on top. His eyes still hold the power to make my legs quiver and my insides burn from one look. His face shows a small amount of stubble, and I can imagine myself scratching my fingers along the scruff. He's beautiful.

I go to get off the stage, keeping my eyes on his, when suddenly I see Rose as she comes into view. She walks up to Edward, throwing her hand in his face, and screaming and I rush down quicker and run around the stage to them.

"You have no right to be here! After what you did, you don't deserve to see her!" Rose yells, and I see Emmett standing behind her, grabbing her arms and trying to whisper in her ear and pull her back at the same time, but she only grows madder, turning and smacking his chest.

"You! You brought him here! You lied to me!" she yells into Emmett's face, and he flinches back, but keeps trying to grab her arms. I'm about to reach over and say something to her, when the large bouncer who has introduced himself to me numerous times as Leroy steps in.

"You're going to have to leave, Ma'am." He says, looking down at Rosalie as she struggles against Emmett's grip.

"We're going… "He says, and begins to drag her away as she continues to fight, and yell expletives towards Edward. As soon as she and Emmett are out of sight, Jasper comes pretty much out of nowhere and pats Edward on the back.

"Well… that was…. Yea." he says, looking between Edward and me. He smiles, and steps towards me before pulling me into a big hug.

"You were amazing, Bella." he whispers, and I thank him softly before he pulls away. The sound of a throat clearing has us all turning our heads and looking over to where Alice is standing, arms crossed in front of her and slowly tapping her foot as she glares at Jasper. His eyes, which are now wide with fright, turn back to us, and he gulps loudly and looks between us.

"If I go missing… it was Alice." he says, and turns and walks over to her with his head down. She looks over at me when he reaches her and asks me if I'm ok. I nod my head, and she turns, fisting her hand on Jasper's shirt and pulling him away. I chuckle softly at seeing Jasper act that way. Alice is a good foot and a half shorter than him, but the way he was looking, you'd think she was 8 foot tall.

I shift my guitar from hand to hand, not really knowing what to say now that it's just Edward and I left standing in front of each other. Music from the jukebox fills the air in the bar, and everyone has pretty much gone back to what they were doing before things were interrupted by Rosalie's outburst. I peek up at him through my lashes, and see that his eyes are still on me. I can tell by his face that he's just as uncomfortable with this silence as I am, so I clear my throat, and raise my head to look at him.

"Hi." I say, awkwardly. His hand reaches up to the back of his head, and I see it disappear beneath the bronze locks.

"Hi." he says, crinkling his forehead and looking from me to the ground and back again.

"That was… weird." I say, referring to the scene Rose just caused. His mouth twitches up in a smile, and I can feel my body start to ignite with happiness. It had been far too long since I saw that smile.

"Yea. I knew she didn't like me, I just didn't think I would make her do something like that." he says, and I smile in return. "How have you been?"

I smile, and nod my head, "I've been… good. How about you?" I say, and he gives me back the same answer I had just given him. We stand there awkwardly for a while, not knowing what to say to one another, when he finally starts to speak.

"I didn't know you were here, I swear. The guys convinced me to get out and go on a little vacation…" he starts explaining and then just stops and begins digging his hands through his hair once again, muttering under his breath.

The silence is unbearable, but neither one of us has anything to say. Or nothing that we know how to go about saying. I honestly don't know what to say to him. I am happy that he is here, I know that much, but what I don't know is how he feels. I love him still, after all this time he is still the keeper of my heart but could he feel the same? I suck my lip into my mouth and close my eyes, trying to work up the courage to ask him what I want to ask him right now, knowing that after all we've been through, there's a lot to talk about and after a minute or two, I finally get it.

"Um, Edward?" I say, looking up at him. His eyes meet mine and a tingle shoots down my spine. I had missed those eyes.

"Do you want to go to my place, and talk?" I would have gladly said for us to talk in the bar, but at this moment, the music is blaring and there are drunks dancing to 'Low' all over the place. Not the type of environment I want to have this talk with him in.

He stares at me for a second, before nodding enthusiastically. I smile, and turn to look for Lisa to let her know that I'm going to be leaving, when I see her practically sucking the face off of a guy in the corner.

_Hmm. I'll have to call her later, then. _I think to myself. I hold up my finger, signaling for Edward to give me a minute and I walk onstage, grabbing my guitar case and slipping my guitar into it, and locking it up. I pick up the handle and start off down the stairs again and motion for Edward to follow me.

As we walk out of the bar, I expect to see everyone outside waiting for us, but I'm surprised to see that they aren't there. I make a mental note to call Rosalie in a little bit, and walk to the curb to wait for a cab.

"Bella. My car's over here if you want me to drive…" he says, and I turn and nod and let him lead the way to his rental. The rental that Alice and Rose got is nowhere to be seen, so I guess they took it. I follow Edward to the car, a black Cadillac and he moves to the passenger side, opens the door for me, and moves back leaving room for me to get in. I smile, and get inside reaching for my seat belt as he shuts the door and walks around the front to get in the drivers side.

"Ok. Which way do I go?" Edward asks as he closes the door behind him and starts the car. I tell him the directions to my house as we drive through town. His eyes are on the road, but every so often his eyes meet mine and I can't get over how beautiful they are, the green so vibrant even in a dark car only illuminated by the occasional street light.

I point out which house is mine when we finally get to my neighborhood, and he parks in the driveway and shuts the car off.

"Wow, Bella. Looks like you're doing great." he says with a small smile on his face.

"I guess I am." I smile, and unclick my seatbelt and reach for the knob. I get out, and shut the door behind me, grabbing my keys in my hand and separating the house key from the rest to unlock my door. I hear Edward's slow footsteps behind me, and I turn to stare at him for a moment. It had been too long.

I open the door, and motion for him to go inside before joining him and shutting the door behind us.

"Can I get you something to drink?" I ask him as I open the fridge. He takes a seat at one of the barstools at the breakfast bar, and nervously plays with the car key in his hand, shifting it from side to side.

"Uh. Beer, if you have It." he says, and I reach inside and grab two corona's from the back of the fridge, and hand him one.

"So. What have you been up to?" I ask, taking a small sip from my beer as he takes a large gulp and sets the bottle down in front of him. He tells me about how his life has been for the past 2 years. He tells me how Lauren moved in with him, had the baby, and left all within months of each other. He tells me about the day his daughter was born, and how he felt staring into her eyes for the very first time. He tells me about how he managed after Lauren left, and how his parents helped with her while he worked. After telling me a little about her, he asks me about my life and I do.

I tell him about my job, my promotion and about how everything is going great in my life. Then the awkward silence comes back, and we do nothing for a couple of minutes but stare down at our empty beer bottles.

"Have you, uh. Have you dated? Do you have someone…" he asks, and I shake my head.

"No. What about you?" I ask, and a one sided smirk shows on his face as he begins to rip off the label from the bottle.

"No." he answers, and looks up at me, green eyes piercing my soul. "Why didn't you say goodbye?" he asks, and I suck in a large breath and begin to blink rapidly to fight the oncoming tears.

"I thought that if I saw you… I'd change my mind."

I look down at the countertop, tracing the lines of the granite under my finger as I wait for him to say something. Anything.

"I tried to stop you." he says, and my eyes dart from the counter to him, and I see his brow furrowed in concentration as he runs his hands through his hair. "When I heard you had left, I jumped in the car and sped to your apartment, hoping I would catch you in time."

I wipe the tears that have fallen onto my cheek off, and keep my eyes on him as he continues to speak.

"I swear, the whole ride there I was speeding, cutting people off and running lights, but I didn't care. I just needed to get to you. Then I got there, and knocked on the door and Rosalie answered. She told me that you left, because of me. I swear, Bella, my heart sank right there, and I lost it. For days, I just barely existed. I wouldn't eat, I had trouble sleeping… And no one would tell me where you went." His eyes water and tears fall quickly down his face as he raises his hands to his face and clenches his fists tightly.

"It killed me, Bella. It killed me not knowing where you were or how you were doing." he buries his face into his hands, and lets out a loud sob, and I watch as his body quakes with each sob that rips through him. I wipe more tears from my eyes, and walk around the counter until I'm standing in front of him.

"Edward…." I whisper, as I hold my hand out to him, desperate to touch him, but too nervous to actually do it. His hands leave his face, and he looks up at me then, tears streaming down his face with the pain my departure caused him.

"I'm so sorry for not telling you about Lauren, but I did it because I didn't know. I didn't want to put that type of stress on you if I wasn't sure it was mine. Then when I found out it was, I spent the day thinking of ways to tell you… but you found out before I could."

I nod my head, "She told me. She came by when you were at work that day, and told me everything." I say, sniffling and shaking my head as I feel fresh tears make their way down my face. "I was so angry with you for not telling me, Edward. I would have stood by you. I was in love with you, and I would have been there and we would have gotten through this together."

I wipe away the tears as they fall, hating that the conversation has lead to this but knowing there was no way around it. He shakes his head, and looks down at his feet.

"I love you, Bella. I haven't stopped loving you in over two years, and I will never stop. But if you tell me that we can never be the way we were before, if we can't put all of this behind us and move on, then I'll understand and I'll walk out that door and leave you alone. Otherwise, I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life proving to you how much you mean to me."

My mind is overcome with different scenarios. Edward and I together, loving one another and living the rest of our lives together. Edward leaving and us going back to life how it has been for the last two years. As much as I liked the first thought, it wasn't just Edward and I anymore. He had a daughter, Liv, and to be honest, I didn't know how to be a mother. Could I love a child that he made with someone else? Could I treat the child like it was my own, even after seeing features in her of the woman I hated so much?

I honestly didn't know, but I didn't want to take any chances.

"I've worked so hard to get where I am, Edward. I have a life out here, as I'm sure you do back in Washington. I'm not leaving here, and I would never ask that you leave everything behind there… I just… I don't know, Edward." I say, letting go of his hand finally, which drops with a thump as it hits against his leg. He nods his head, and gets up and grabs his keys in his hand as he walks towards the front door.

"I'm here for 2 more days, Bella. I'm staying at the Hyatt downtown, room 1010. If I don't see or hear from you by Sunday, then I'll leave you alone." He says, and reaches the doorknob, turning it in his hand and pulling it open. Before he takes a step out, he turns back and looks at me, giving me a small smile and leaning over me, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you, Bella." he says, and then walks out of my house, into the cold, dark night.

* * *

**A little short... Sorry about that, but I've been fighting a cold for the past couple of days, and I wrote whenever my head wasn't pounding. **

**Things are getting better, promise... Next chapter will have Bella's decision, and and altercation... :) thats all I'm sayin'**

**For those of you that didn't already know, I am rewriting my story "Obsess". It was my first FanFic and as much as I love it, I wanted to change some things and clean it up a bit. So, Check it out, I have a prologue up already, and the rest of the story should be up soon.**

**Thanks for reading and all that good stuff you guys do for me. Love you all. **

**Ana **


	24. Chapter 24: Love

Finding the Perfect Man

Chapter 24: Love

I shut the door as soon as I see him drive away. My heart hurts because of what I had to say to him today, but I know it was for the best.

At least, I think it was.

To be honest, I would love nothing more than being with him. He was the only man to make me fall head over heels in love so quickly, and I still feel the same way today as I did years ago. He made me feel like I was the only woman in the world, and showered me with love and affection every single day we were together. I loved him. I still love him.

But things were different. He had a daughter now, and I couldn't figure out a way that we could make this work. Although his little girl would be a part of him, I still couldn't help but think about the fact that her mother was Lauren, a woman I couldn't stand. I was here in California and he was in Washington, getting all of the help he could use from his parents while he worked at the shop. I couldn't take him away from that, his only support system and I refused to leave here after all I went through to get where I was.

I walk over to the fridge, pulling out another beer, and chug it down quickly. The chill from the beer must snap me out of my inner ramblings, because as soon as the last drop is gone, I fling the bottle into the trash, and run to my bedroom, grabbing the keys to my car and a jacket and making my way to the front door.

It doesn't matter what we have in front of us now. I love Edward, and it didn't matter. We would make things work. We'd talk on the phone, or email, until we could come up with something that would work for us. We could do this. I reach the door and the pitter patter of rain outside has me lifting up my hood to keep my head from getting wet. I pull open the door, and prepare to run to my car when suddenly I realize Edward is standing right in front of me, soaked to the bone.

"Bella. I know I told you I'd give you time to think, but I-" he says, but I cut him off as I fling my body off of the step and into his arms, crushing my lips against his. His kiss sends flames shooting through my body. It's a feeling I haven't felt for years, and I never want to go without it ever again. His hands roam from my neck to the swell of my ass before resting on my hips.

"Edward. I love you." I say against his lips as I pull him inside my house. He kicks the door behind him and slowly, without parting from my lips, we make our way from the front door to the middle of my living room.

"I love you, Bella. I love you so much." he says as I begin to peel away his soaked through clothes. I lift his damp shirt up his body, and toss it to the floor where it lands with a _slop _sound and I feel his hands start to work on tugging my jacket down my arms. As I start to work on his pants, he leans forward and pulls the top of my tank top down, exposing my breasts which are covered in goose bumps from being so close to his wet body and the chill in the air. His thumbs dance over my hardened nipples, teasing and pulling, causing me to groan against his lips at the sensation as I disconnect from his lips and throw my head back muttering a low _shit_ into the air. His head moves down to my chest then, gently kissing down my collarbone and in between my breasts before darting his warm tongue out and tracing slowly around my nipple.

I let out a chorus of sighs, moans and 'fucks' as he moves to the other breast, repeating the teasing with the tongue. He shakes his hips gently, letting his sopping wet pants fall to the floor and starts to kick off his shoes. He kisses his way back up to my neck, and softly whispers 'Where can I take you?" and I mutter 'my bedroom' and point in the direction of the hallway that leads up to my room. His hands reach my ass once again, and this time he lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he walks across the living room and into the hallway, before finally getting to my darkened bedroom.

The rain from outside is easy heard in my room. Every so often when the lightning strikes, my room fills with a flash of light and I can make out Edward and my body parts mingling together. The curve of his bicep as he holds my legs up or the pale flesh of my forearm as it rests on his shoulder. Slowly he releases my leg, and reaches for the hem of my tank top, and pulls it completely off before working on my shorts.

"You are so beautiful." he says as he stands there, eyes drinking in my naked form with that familiar glint in his eye.

"So are you." I say, and walk forward, tucking my thumbs into the waist of his boxer briefs and pulling down. Before I can even stand up all the way, Edward's nude body crashes against mine, lips meeting as he pushes my body back until I hit the end of the bed, and topple over, taking him with me. I wrap my legs around his waist as out lips move furiously along one another, and as I shift up, needing to feel him against me, he pushes back, separating from my lips and staring down at me.

"Bella… are you- are you sure you want this? Me?" He asks, and I smile, bringing my hands up to his face and digging into his hair.

"You're all I want, Edward. Always." I say, and bring his face to mine once again as he pushes his pelvis forward and grazes my opening.

"I love you." he whispers before pushing further, fully sheathing himself inside of me. He fills me so completely and it seems as if my body sighs at the feeling of having him inside again. Holding him tightly to me, he begins to move inside of me and I bring my hips up to meet his thrusts. The only sounds in the room are the sounds of our rapid breathing, our moans of pleasure, and the occasional crack of thunder as we get closer and closer to our end.

Minutes later, my orgasm hits me, harder than I have ever felt in my life and I quiver uncontrollably before hearing him as he lets out a loud groan and feeling him pump one last time before feeling him fill me with his release.

With our foreheads touching, we spend the next couple of minutes in silence, calming out breathing and kissing one another in between breaths before he finally pulls completely out of me, causing me to let out a low whimper, and shifts beside me, wrapping his arms around me.

After another whispered 'I love you' between us, I snuggle close to Edward, breathing in his scent that I just can't seem to get enough of, and fall quickly asleep.

The smell of cinnamon and bacon assaults my nose the following morning and I slowly open my eyes, squinting against the sunlight pouring in from the opened window and turning in bed to find Edward gone. I look around the room, expecting to see him sitting somewhere, watching me, but I find nothing. It finally occurs to me that the smell wafting through my room is Edward's cooking, and I hop out of bed, grab my silk robe hanging on the hook behind the bathroom door and make my way out to the kitchen.

I see Edward as soon I turn the corner into the room, standing in front of the stove in nothing but his boxer briefs that must have dried as they lay on the floor last night. The muscles on his back flex deliciously as he grabs the bacon off of the griddle and places it on some paper towels and reaches over to shut off the stove.

I clear my throat, wanting him to know I'm there, and he turns and looks at me before walking over to me and leaning down to give me a soft kiss on the lips.

"Good morning. I hope you're hungry." he says, with a smirk as he pulls back and turns back around to collect the plates of bacon and French toast.

"Starving, actually." I say, and he chuckles and motions for me to take a seat at the breakfast bar. I see that the place is already set on the breakfast bar; two glasses of orange juice, bottle of maple syrup and powdered sugar sit out in between both plates. I take my seat and he starts to serve me my food, and then drizzle syrup all over the whole plate. I thank him, and dig in just as he does and we eat in silence, every so often looking at one another and smiling.

After we've finished, Edward collects the plates and gets to cleaning up, even though I try to protest.

"I made the mess, I'll clean it. Now go and get ready; I want to spend the day with you." he says, and I smile and walk off to my bedroom. After searching for a couple of minutes, I settle for a turquoise sundress with a pair of sandals adorned with matching turquoise stones. I place both on my bed, and walk into the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I fix my hair, putting the top half back while leaving the rest down past my shoulders. After a quick application of powder and lip gloss, I walk back out to the room and slip on my dress. I take a seat on the bed, and start to put my sandals on when I hear the front door open and hit against the wall and then I hear Rosalie's loud voice echoing through the hall.

I take off running to the front, making it just in time to see Rose standing nearly chest to chest with Edward, and yelling up at him.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Here to take advantage of her again? Huh? Here to leave her in a million fucking pieces like you did last time? Leave us to pick up the pieces while you go off and live happily ever after with whomever the fuck you feel like…" she says. I reach them then, and slide in between them facing her.

"Rose. Stop." I say, grabbing onto her arms.

"No, Bella. What the hell, you're just going to forget about what he did?" she says, looking at me briefly before darting her narrowed eyes back at him.

"Edward…" I whisper, and he grips my waist and pulls me to him.

"It's ok, Bella. She has a right to say how she feels." he says, and Rose starts to laugh.

"Damn right I do. She's my best friend, and I'm not going to just stand around and watch you break her again!" she screams, and I flinch at the outburst and feel Edward pull me tighter to him.

"Can I say something?" he asks, and before she can even reply, he begins to speak. "I love Bella. I always have, and I have no intention of hurting her ever again. I want us to be together, and I want to prove to her that the man, who kept her in the darkness as to what was happening to me 2 years ago, is dead. I will never lie to her again, and I want to see where we can take this… If she'll let me." he says, squeezing my arms at his last statement and I turn around and nod my head at him. I get up on my tiptoes and gently press my lips against his.

"Bella. If you believe him, then I don't know what to tell you…" she says, with the attitude that screams 'Rosalie, and at that moment I'd had just enough of her.

"Rosalie, I love him. I love you, too, but you need to realize that what I do with my own life is my decision. I know you're just trying to look out for me, but at some point I'm going to have to take care of things on my own. I love Edward, and I want to be with him, and if you can't accept that, then I don't know what to tell you, but I will do whatever I feel like doing. If I end up making a fool out of myself again, then that would be on me, but I don't need you reminding me every step of the way of what he did to me." I say, and I watch as her face drops. She looks between Edward and me before finally turning and walking out.

"Rose!" I call out after her once I pass through the door, but by the time I speak she's already backing out of my driveway and driving off. I hate that it seems like I hurt her, but she's been pulling this overprotective mother bear crap for as long as I can remember. I was a grown woman, and I could make my own choices.

Edward's arms wrap around me once more, and he pulls my back to his chest.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I-" he starts but I turn in his arms to face him and shake my head.

"Can we talk?" I ask, and he nods and turns to walk back inside the house. He bends down as we pass his pants on the floor in the living room, and he pulls them up his legs and then buckles them. He joins me on the sofa after his pants are on, and I fold my hands in my lap and look over at him.

"How are we going to do this?" I ask him. There's no need to explain my question. He knows I mean how we are going to keep our relationship intact when we both live hundreds of miles away from one another. His hands dig uncomfortably in his hair, and I can hear as he inhales deeply and then looks up to me.

"I don't care how we do this, Bella. Maybe I can move, or you can move, I don't know. I just need to know that we can and will do anything to stay together, whether it is calling, emailing, texting, whatever. I just need to know you're willing to do as much as I am to keep this going." he says, and I smile up at him and lean forward, grabbing his hands in mine.

"I am. And I will."

* * *

**:)**

**Sorry this is a bit late, but I've been a bit busy these past couple of days. Hope you guys understand. **

**There was actually going to be just one last chapter and an epi but I kind of got this crazy idea which will add a couple more chapters... ;)**

**Rec's:**

**How to Save a Life by - reading this one right now, and I'm loving it.**

**Grasping Darkness by KiyaRaven- Love this one. I've just gotten through the first chapter, but it's so hot. Love Love Love it.**

**Thanks for reading. Love you all, and see you soon! =)**

**-Ana**


	25. Chapter 25: Trips and Meetings

Finding the Perfect Man

Chapter 25: Trips and Meetings

I shut down my computer, and grab my keys and bag from the bottom drawer of my desk. Making sure I have everything, I get up from my seat and take a couple of minutes to look around my office, wanting to be completely sure I have everything I will need with me. Once I'm sure everything is tucked safely away in my bag, I flick the light of my office off, and shut the door and make my way down the long hallway to the elevators.

"Bella!" I hear Lisa call my name from her office door, and I smile and walk over to her. "I'll see you when I get there, ok?" she says, stepping out and grabbing me in a tight hug which I quickly return.

"Of course. Garrett is picking you up still, right?" I ask her, and she nods her head and tried to fight the smirk that is creeping on her face. "Good. Then I'll see you on Saturday." I say, and she says she will, and yells over the noise of the office for me to call her when I land later on tonight, which I promise I will.

It's been 5 months since Edward came back into my life, and I was taking a big step this weekend. On Saturday, it will be Liv's 2nd birthday, which Edward is throwing a huge party for and as big an occasion as this is for her, it's big for me also, because this will be the first time I meet her.

Ever since Edward left, we have talked for hours on end every night, and kept in contact with emails and texts. Our love, if possible, has grown way bigger than it had ever been before and because of that, I was starting to think of our future together. I wanted to be with Edward for the rest of my life, this was a fact, and this weekend would be my reality check. Edward was no longer a solo deal. Wherever he went, his daughter went and she had to like me for this to be able to work. I hoped she liked me.

As I got into my car, I see the blinking red light from my phone and realize I had left it there all day. I pick it up, and scroll through the missed calls, seeing one from Edward, two from Alice and one from Rosalie. I dial back Alice first.

"Hey, Bella. I wanted to catch you before you boarded." she says.

"Hi Alice. Actually I have another hour before I have to be at the airport." I tell her, and she sighs in relief, and tells me how she had a complete mind fart and couldn't remember what time I had said I was leaving. We talk for a couple minutes as I pull out of the parking garage and make my way home, and then hang up after promising her I would call her when I landed… I would have to call a lot of people when I landed.

I dial Rose then, and it rings a couple of times before going to voice mail. I hang up, and am about to try again when I hear her ring tone for my phone start to play.

"Hey Rose." I say after pressing the green button.

"Sorry…" she says, and I can hear the sink running in the background and then a toilet flush. "I was throwing up again." she says.

After our falling out in California, Rose and I didn't talk for weeks. She called me one day out of the blue, and apologized, explaining to me that she didn't want to see me hurt again, and she wanted to keep that from happening by keeping Edward away. She told me Emmett had invited Edward over the day before and they had talked, and she was able to finally see our side, and decided that as much as she loves me and was scared for me, that it was my choice and she would stand behind me no matter what.

She also told me she had just found out she was pregnant.

"Are you taking your medicine, woman?" I ask her, to which she replies with a scoff and a 'hell no'.

"Bella. How would you feel if the only options for relief of this were to take a pill that would knock you out for most of the day, or something cold that you would have to shove up your asshole?" I laugh out loud as I park in my driveway, and grab my things.

"Ok. So you'd rather barf every 5 seconds?"

We continue our talk, to which she tells me that her barfs have calmed down a lot and says that they should stop altogether once she's a bit more into her pregnancy, and I truly hope they will. I hang up with her after adding her to the list of people I have to call when I land, and tell her I'll see her Saturday at the party.

I look at the clock, and see that I have to leave in just a couple of minutes, so I change out of my work clothes, put on one of those damn comfy velour track suits with a white tank top underneath, and pair it with some sandals, and grab my suitcase and my carry on from my bedroom and make my way out to the car. After double checking to make sure I have Liv's birthday gift packed, I start the car and head off towards the airport.

After checking my bag and making my way through the gate, I call Edward and let him know I'm about to board, and he promises he will be there to pick me up. After telling him that I love him for the eightieth time that day, they announce it's time to board, and I hang up and make my way to the plane, knowing that by the end of the weekend, my life is going to be very different.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The flight was short and peaceful, being that there was barely anyone on it. Wednesday afternoon didn't seem to be a big day for flying apparently. As I made my way out of the jet way with my carry-on in hand, I started to feel the butterflies that seemed to come out only when I was in or about to be in Edward's presence, and after being without him for 5 months, it was a welcome feeling.

I didn't waste time, and as soon as my feet hit the inside of the airport, I found myself fast walking it all the way to the baggage claim where he said he would be waiting for me, passing slow movers as I came close to them, anxious to see him. I take the escalator down to the baggage claim and as soon as the baggage claim comes to view, I see him.

He's standing there near the carousel looking absolutely amazing in baggy jeans, a white t-shirt and sneakers, with his hair in it's usual messy yet sexy state and in his hands he holds the most beautiful bouquet of long-stemmed yellow and pink roses, baby breath scattered through out it and as soon as I hit the bottom step on the escalator, I practically fling myself through the air, and run to him.

I drop my bag to the ground just as out bodies' crash together, and I jump, wrapping my legs around his waist as his arms move around me to hold me up as I nestle my face into his neck.

"I love you. I missed you so much." I whisper into his neck and then pull back, holding his head in my hands and taking a good look at him. It felt like forever since I had seen him last, and I needed my fix of him.

"I love you too, baby." he whispers, inching his face closer to mine before crashing his lips against mine, filling me with fierce passion and spilling out all of the love he had for me into it. Our tongues glided gently together, and I moaned into his mouth, tasting him after going without it for so long. I never wanted to go this long without him again.

We finally break apart, and he gently lowers me down his body allowing me to feel every ridge and dip of his body, and a burst of need flows through me when I feel his bulge against me through the front of his pants. I stifle a groan, and he hands me my flowers, which I bring up to my nose and inhale, smelling the sweetness of the roses mixed with the earthiness scent of the foliage mixed in. He bends down to grab my bag and together we make out way to the carousel to wait for my suitcase to come out.

"How was your flight, baby?" he asks, and I tell him about it as the bags start to come out. I point to mine when I see it, and he quickly scoops up the lavender suitcase, popping up the handle and rolling it behind him as he holds my hand and we make our way to the parking garage.

After settling my bags inside the trunk of his Infiniti FX50, we walk around to the front where he opens the passenger side for me, before going over to the driver's side and starting the car. I look into the back seat, and smile when I see the pink and brown car seat behind my chair, and see the scattering of tiny hair bows and finger foods all along the seat.

"Sorry about the mess." he says when he gets in and spots me looking back.

"It's ok." I say, and then reach back, and grab a tiny yellow bow in my hand and hold it up. "This is adorable." I say, and he chuckles and begins to back out of the space.

"Yea. I do her hair all of the time, but she always rips out the bows."

I had seen pictures of Liv, and she was the spitting image of Edward. She had his hair color and his eyes color, and even had his pouty lips, and I knew when she grew up that Edward was going to have to have a gun near the door for any guy that tried to take her out.

"She's with your parents?" I ask, and he nods his head.

"Yea. She'll be spending the night with them tonight, and then you can meet her tomorrow. I didn't know if you would be ready to meet her tonight, so I figured we'd spend tonight together and then pick her up bright and early tomorrow morning so you guys can meet each other." he says, and nod, and let out a deep breath. I hadn't known what I was going to do when I saw her, and it made me feel a little better that I would have the night with Edward to prepare me for meeting his daughter.

We drove back to his house in silence, our hand intertwined as we listened to the sound of the wind whooshing by us and every so often, looking over at one another and giving a smile. We soon pull into his driveway, and he opens his garage and pulls completely in. My eyes meet his as he shuts the car off, and I see in them what he must see in mine: want, need, love.

We exit the car, and meet in front of the door leading into the house, deciding that the bags can wait until morning to be brought in.

Right now, the need to be with one another is much more important than my clothes.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOII

His scent surrounds me as I start to wake up, digging my face deep into his pillow and breathing his sweet scent in. I feel his warm body pressed up against mine, and his nose buried deeply in my hair, his soft breaths ticking the back of my neck.

"Mmm are you awake, love?" he whispers against my skin, and I nod slowly as he begins to move his hand up and down the side of my body causing goose bumps to rise under his touch.

Last night had been amazing. We spent the entire night cherishing each other's bodies, bringing one another to the end and back numerous times, using all of our energy professing our love to each other physically. We didn't fall asleep until the sun had already risen, and even though I didn't get but 3 hours of sleep, it didn't matter. We were together right now and I didn't want to waste time sleeping when I could be enjoying his presence.

"Are you hungry?" he asks, and I turn around in his arms, facing him, and bring my lips to his.

"Yes. Very." I say, and he chuckles, and nods his head. After placing one last kiss on my lips, he moves out of bed, revealing his glorious nude form to me, and walking over to the dresser drawer against the wall. He pulls out a pair of plaid pajama pants and after slipping them on, he reaches back in the drawer and pulls out a t-shirt and shorts and places them on the bed.

"We'll get your bags in after breakfast, ok?" he asks, and I nod and slip out of bed and begin to dress as he walks out and into the kitchen. I join him once I'm in his clothes, and find him over the stove flipping French toast and frying eggs. I help him with the food, despite his protests, and we eat together at his table. After we've finished, he insists on doing the dishes, so after he brings my bags in from the car he gets back to the sink as I shower up and dress in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He comes back to the bedroom as I'm fastening my black beaded sandals, and he quickly showers and dresses.

"Are you ready to meet her?" he asks as we drive down the road towards his parent's house. I nod my head and put on a smile even though I'm nervous about this. Not only would this be the first time meeting Liv, it would also be the first time meeting Edward's parents.

"Don't be nervous, love. It'll be fine." he says as he pulls off of the road and comes up to a large, iron gate. He lowers his window and leans over towards the keypad jutting out from the wall next to the gate, and enters some digits. The gates squeak as they open, and he pulls in when there's enough room and comes up to a circular driveway in front of one of the biggest homes I'd ever seen. I stay frozen in my seat, looking up at the massive house in front of me as Edward gets out and comes around the car, pulling my door open for me and holding out his hand.

"You ready?" he says, and I gulp down loudly, and look at the house once more, trying my best to keep my nervousness at bay as I nod and look over at him.

"Yea. I'm ready." I tell him, and we move forward, walking up the brick steps and stopping in front of the large black double doors. He reaches forward for the gold knocker, and knocks three times before stepping back, gripping my hand tightly in his. The door opens and I come face to face with the woman I had seen that day in the mall so long ago.

"We weren't expecting you guys this early!" she says with the wide smile that I recognize as the same one Edward has.

"I couldn't wait to see my girl." Edward says smiling, and leans down to kiss his mother on the forehead. He pulls back from her, and looks over at me, squeezing my hand one last time.

"Mom, this is my Bella. Bella, this is my mother, Esme." he says, and I hold out my hand for her to shake, not really sure if that the right thing to do in that moment but too scared to try anything else. She looks down at my outstretched hand, and giggles before walking forward and pulling me into a tight, motherly hug.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you." she says, and then pulls back. "Come in, come in. Liv is eating breakfast with your father." she says, and then turns to lead us to where, I assume, the kitchen is. Edward and I follow hands still tight together, and as we turn the corner and come into the light-filled kitchen, I see an older man, Edward's father sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper.

"Hey dad." Edward says as we walk up to him. His father looks up from his paper, and gets up from the table, a smile on his face as he walks over to us.

"Son." he says, grabbing his hand in his before turning to look at me.

"You must be Bella?" he says, grabbing my hand and bringing it up to his mouth. "Edward was right, you are stunning." he says after placing a kiss on the flesh on the back of my hand. I begin to blush and Edward chuckles, and then looks around.

"Where's Liv?" he asks, and his father points to a door and says she's washing up from breakfast. The door in question creeks open then and out she comes, curly bronze hair bouncing with each step, eyes down at her hands as she dries them with the small towel in her hand.

"Liv. Look who's here." Carlisle says, and her head shoots up and lands on Edward and I. Her face brightens as a large grin spreads across her face and she takes off running towards him as she chants 'Daddy, Daddy'. He leans down, scooping her up in his arms and pulling her close to him.

"Hey, princess. I missed you." he says, and I can't help but smile at seeing him with his daughter. After their hug, he places her back on the ground; arm still wrapped around her and he turns her towards me.

"Liv. Remember my friend I was telling you about? This is Bella. Can you say Hi to Bella?" he says, pointing up at me. Her eyes look up and land on mine and my heart tightens when I see her. Her photos hadn't done her justice. She was the most beautiful child I had ever seen in my life. As our eyes were locked, I don't know what comes over me, but all nervousness I had felt before was wiped away and I find myself kneeling in front of her, taking her tiny, dimpled hand in mine.

"Hi Liv." I say.

"Hi, Bella." she says. "See my toys?"

I nod yes, and go with her up to her room where she shows me toy after toy, and explains to me how everything works as I just sit there in complete awe over this little girl. She was special, and although I wasn't sure how this would go before, I knew now that there was nothing to fear.

By the end of the day, after we got back to Edward's house and Liv ate and washed up, it was her bedtime. Edward and I brought her into her room, and he put her in her bed and walked over to her little bookcase.

"What do you want me to read, baby?" he asks her, and she shakes her head.

"No you. Bella read." she says, pointing over at me and I look over at Edward and smile, holding out my hand for the princess book in his hand.

"Ok, then." he says, showing an exaggerated look of defeat which makes me giggle. I take a seat on the edge of her bed and start to read to her. By the end of the book, she's sleeping soundly, so I shut the book and take it over to the bookshelf. I turn back around, facing her bed, and lean down to her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep well, angel." I whisper, and reach down to bring the blanket over her more. I stand up then and make my way to the door, where I turn and look over towards her again. The feeling inside of me when I look at this little girl is indescribable to me. I feel the need to protect her, to watch over her. I want to watch her grow, and watch her learn…

I want to be there. I have to be there.

* * *

**:)**

**Next chapter will be the birthday party, plus a little drama which I love... :P**

**Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. Also, I just got a Facebook page, the link is in my profile. So, go add me! :)**

**-xoxo Ana**


	26. Chapter 26: Bday Parties and Uninvited

Finding the Perfect Man

Chapter 26: Birthday Parties and Unwelcome Guests

I had never been surrounded by so much pink in my life. Pink balloons, pink tablecloths, pink plates, napkins, forks and spoons. Even the toilet paper in the bathroom was pink… but the look on Liv's face as everything got set up was worth it.

"Where does this go?" Rose asks, holding up a pop-up princess cutout high in one hand, while her other hand rubs small circles on her very noticeable baby bump.

"Main table in the front. It's where the cake is going to go." I say, and she nods, and takes off towards the other end of the yard.

It was Saturday morning, the day of Liv's party and everyone was here helping to set up.

The day in a half I had been here had been wonderful. My days were spent with both Edward and Liv, and at night Liv would ask me to read her a story and tuck her in. Once she was sound asleep, I would crawl into bed with Edward, spending hours making love before falling asleep in his arms. It was amazing, and I didn't want to go back to being alone, waking up by myself and spending my days working with nothing to look forward to when I got home. I wanted this, I wanted Edward and I wanted Liv, and I wanted us to work something out where we could all be together. But I hadn't spoken with Edward about it yet.

I had never thought that I would have the 'mothering' skill, and I was actually surprised when I felt the connection to Liv so quickly. Growing up, I never played with dolls or anything like that, and when I got into my teens, I would always say that out of all of the things I could be when I grew up, a mother was not the highest on my list. But Liv changed all that.

Friday morning things started just as they always did, Edward and I got up, got Liv dressed, and I made breakfast. We made plans to go to lunch with Rose and then to the party store to order balloons, but about an hour before we were set to leave, Edward got a call from Larry. He said he needed him to come in and get some last minute things done, since Tony, Angela and Larry would be shutting the shop down the following day to come to Liv's birthday party. Edward apologized, and went to get ready and pack up to take Liv to his mother's, when I told him it wasn't necessary.

"I can watch her." I told him, and he looked at me with a smile, yet his eyes showed how nervous he was about me watching her by myself.

"Are you sure, Bella? She can be a handful…" he said, looking from me to her. I nod my head, and tell him it'll be fine, and he finally agrees. We all file into Edward's car, and he drives to his job, the place where I met him and fell in love with him, and it all seems so strange to be seeing it after all this time. He pulls up front, and leaves the car on as he gets out and walks around the car to open the door for me.

"I'll call you when I get out. Be careful, Ok?" he says, and I nod as he lowers his face to me and kisses my lips.

After saying goodbye to Liv, he walks into the shop and I walk around to the driver's side, and buckle my seat belt.

"We're going to have lunch with Rosalie. Are you hungry?" I ask her, looking at her from the rearview mirror. Her eyes widen and she nods frantically, causing me to laugh out loud.

We pick up Rosalie, and then make our way to the restaurant which just so happens to be in the same plaza as the party store. After calling Edward and making sure Liv was able to eat most of the things on the menu, we placed our order and had our girl time.

Rose and I talked about the baby, about how excited she was to be a mother and what she had bought already, and I talked about my trip here so far, and how things were going with Edward. The food was delicious, and we all split a piece of cake, which Rose then decided she wanted her own and ordered another one, blaming it on cravings. I was having a great time being back here with my best friend, and Liv, but every once in a while I felt strange. I could feel as if someone's eyes were on me, and when I'd turn to look, I'd see nothing, just normal people eating and getting along with their day just as I was. Although the feeling didn't go away, I decided to ignore it, and when we paid for our food, we made out way a couple stores down until we came to the party store.

Liv screamed and giggled as we walked in and she saw the vast amount of party supplies. Cups, plates, and party favors, in every imaginable character adorned the walls of the store, and as she held her hand out, trying to grab random things as we walked by, I had to remind her that she already had everything for her party.

"We're here for balloons, honey. You already have everything else." I'd tell her, and she'd stop for a moment, before trying again the next time something interesting would come into view.

Another feeling of unease came over me while I stepped up to the balloon counter, but I quickly dismissed it, blaming the feeling on nerves about tomorrow. The girl behind the balloon counter was young, maybe fresh out of high school, but she was all smiles and happily jotted down my order for fifty pink and white balloons.

"Are all these balloons for you?" she asked, beaming down at Liv who quickly nodded her head and showed her own smile.

"Yea. It's her second birthday tomorrow, so we're having a big party for her." I told the girl, and she looked down at her, showing a look of surprise on her face and wished Liv a happy birthday.

"Will you be picking these up tomorrow, or would you like us to deliver them?" she asked, and I looked over at Rose who helped me decide to just have them delivered as we had a lot to take care of tomorrow. After giving her the address to Edward's house and deciding on the time they would be delivered, we made our way out of the store.

Rose, Liv and I checked out a couple more stores, Rose walked out of a baby store with bags and bags of things, and after a call from Edward, him telling me that we could pick him up, we went to leave.

I hugged Rose to me tightly and told her to drive safe and that I'd see her tomorrow and after helping her squeeze her bags into her tiny trunk, Liv and I made our way to Edward.

She was happy to see her father, practically bouncing in her seat when she saw him, and after opening the back door and giving her a sweet kiss on her cheek, he came to the passenger side and gave me one. As we drove home, I asked him about his day. After he was finished, he asked me about mine, and as we laughed about silly things Liv did, I couldn't help but think about how great this was. It was like we were a family… and I loved that.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"I'm going to go get ready." I tell Esme who's standing in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the cake.

"Go ahead, dear. Take your time, we have about an hour or so before people start to arrive." she says, and I nod my head, and make my way to the bedroom. My clothes for today, a silver top and dark jeans, are sitting out on the bed, so I just go straight to the bathroom, and start the shower before peeling away my clothes, and stepping in.

Under the stream of the warm water, my tense muscle's immediately are soothed. I reach down for the body wash, and hear the sound of the glass door shutting and I smile to myself before I feel his warm arms wrap around me, and pull me tight to his body.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

EPOV

After helping the guys finish putting up the tent, I walk into the house expecting to find Bella. My mother is at the counter in the kitchen, perfecting the icing on Liv's massive princess cake, fixing up the roses, and making sure the figurines are straight.

"Mom, have you seen Bella?" I ask, and she nods, and tells me that she's getting ready. After ensuring that Liv is safe with my father, I make my way into the bedroom, where the sound of the shower running is filling the space. I creep closer to the bathroom door, and look in, immediately hardening when I see her silhouette through the fogged up glass.

My body reacts to her in a way it's never done for anyone else before. Just looking at her makes me long for her, and before I realize it, my hand is palming my erection from the outside of my jeans. Stripping off my clothes quickly, I walk up to the door, the steam rolling out of the shower filling my lungs with her scent, I pull open the door, and shut it quickly, wrapping my arms around her tightly and pulling her to me.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to take a shower?" I ask her, and she giggles before turning around in my arms to face me.

"I knew you'd figure it out." she said, with a sexy smirk, and with a growl from me, I put my face down and press my lips against hers.

Bella being here made me realize a couple of things. One, being that I never wanted to be away from her again.

Seeing how she was with Liv was the best thing ever. The way she just stepped up, engaging with Liv and treating her just like a mother would finally proved to me what I had known all along.

I wanted to marry Bella Swan.

It was crazy of me to tell her I was going into work Friday, but it was the only way I could be alone to do what I needed to do. So when she and Liv dropped me off at work, as soon as the car was out of sight, Tony came out of the shop and together we walked to his car.

"Thanks again, Tony." I told him as I got into the passenger side.

"No problem, man. You're finally to going make an honest woman out of Bella… it was my pleasure." he said with a laugh. We made our way to the jewelry store, and quickly entered, scanning the rows and rows of rings before finding the engagement rings.

A sales woman quickly came to our aid, and helped me pick out exactly the ring I pictured for Bella. The cushion-cut diamond ring was 2 carats, had tiny diamonds littering the platinum band, and was exactly what I had envisioned Bella wearing on her finger. Tony gave his approval, and I told the lady to box it up for me.

After sliding my card, I thanked the lady for her help and made my way out of the store with the tiny bag. There were still a couple more things to take care of, so off Tony and I went to set everything up.

I had a lot planned for Bella.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

After our shower/ sex session, Bella and I quickly dried off and got dressed. I pulled out my black slacks and got out a wine red button up, finishing it up with my black shoes and a spritz of Acqua di gio.

My parents had come to the house dressed, so when we walked out into the living room they were there, watching cartoons with Liv, who was dressed in a pink dress with her name across the front and her shiny reddish hair pulled up in pig tails.

"You look beautiful!" I told her as I walked over, and scooped her up in my arms. She giggled as I kissed her and Bella tickled her sides, before holding out her arms to Bella. I handed her over, letting Bella place kisses on her face, and tell her how cute she was, but she was interrupted when the door bell rang, signaling that our first guest had arrived.

The guests started showing up after that, and before long my house was full of friends and family who had come just to celebrate my daughter's birthday.

After everyone had their fill of food, it was time to sing happy birthday to get to the cake. We sat Liv down in her big girl chair at the head of the long table, and altogether everyone started singing happy birthday. The candlelight flickered as Liv moved and danced along with the song, causing us all to laugh, and when the song finished, Bella and I encouraged her to blow on her candle.

She tried a couple of times, and finally succeeded about her 4th time, which made us, all cheer for her. I lifted my daughter in my arms, holding her up in one while with my other arm I hugged Bella to my side as the cheers kept going, loving the feeling of having them both with me and never wanting to let go, when the cheers abruptly stopped.

I look up, and see everyone looking in the direction of the patio door, and as I crane my head, I see what has caused everyone to quiet down, and my blood begins to boil.

Lauren

* * *

**So sorry it took me so long to update. I was having trouble with this chapter and deleted and rewrote it like ten times before I actually liked it, so I hope you did as well. **

**I will try not to go so long without an update anymore. Promise.**

**Anywho, thanks for reading! You guys are awesome!**

**-Ana**


	27. Chapter 27: Arguments and Plans

Finding the Perfect Man

Chapter 27: Arguments and Plans

_I lifted my daughter in my arms, holding her up in one while with my other arm I hugged Bella to my side as the cheers kept going, loving the feeling of having them both with me and never wanting to let go, when the cheers abruptly stopped._

_I look up, and see everyone looking in the direction of the patio door, and as I crane my head, I see what has caused everyone to quiet down, and my blood begins to boil._

_Lauren_

BPOV

Edward held me tight to his side as he and I littered kisses all along Liv's face. Her giggles were loud among the sounds of cheers and applause, but soon all sound died out and as I looked around, my eyes focusing on the patio doors, I realized why.

I feel Edward stiffen next to me as his eyes settle on Lauren standing in the doorway. The wide smile on her face lets me know that she's aware of the stir she's caused, and she's enjoying it.

"Hi!," she says cheerily and then holds up a large gift bag with pictures of all the Disney princesses decorating it. "I hope I didn't miss the gift opening."

Edward's breathing accelerates and I can feel the anger rolling off of him in waves.

"Take her, please." he says to me, shifting Liv and placing her in my arms and then starting to walk over to Lauren. His father stops him on the way, leaning over to say something into his ear and Edward nods quickly and continues towards her.

"Everyone, I think it's time we unwrap some gifts!" Carlisle, Edward's father says. He motions for the crowd of friends and family to follow him as he makes his way to the other side of the yard where all the gifts are being held on a large, circular table covered in pink tablecloth. The crowd slowly starts to make their way over to the back, a couple of them turning their heads back towards the patio, in hopes of hearing the commotion that is sure to be happening.

"Here, Bella. I'll get her." Esme says, holding out her hands for Liv. I hand her over and watch as they begin to open presents. Everyone ooh's and ahh's at the appropriate times and although I love seeing the look of happiness on Liv's face as she unwraps her presents, I can't help but cast a look over towards the door and wonder what is going on.

Liv is on maybe the 7th or 8th present when I can no longer take this waiting game. Lauren is here and there has to be some reason for it, and I intended to find out what that reason was. I excuse myself, and make my way up the lawn and to the door. As soon as I open the door, the sounds of Edward and Lauren's thunderous arguing fills my ears and I quickly close the door behind me, and follow the sound. I pass the kitchen and come to the living room, peek my head around the corner and watch as Lauren and Edward stand a mere couple of inches from one another.

"You have no right to be here!" Edward roars down at her.

"You think I'm just going to stand by and watch you play house with that bitch?" Lauren yells, causing me to flinch back. She came back because of me.

"Don't you dare speak about her that way. Now, I'm going to tell you one last time, you can either leave on your own, or I'm going to call the cops and have them take you out of here."

I see her huff and turn away from him and then begin to stomp all the way to the door.

"You think you can bring her here and have her play mommy to _my _daughter! Over my dead body!" she yells as she grabs the door handle and pulls it open.

"Don't temp me…" Edward mutters. He walks over to the door, where Lauren has already disappeared through and as he grabs the door to close it, I hear her yell once again from the driveway.

"This isn't the last you'll hear of me, Edward. I promise you that." she manages to get out before Edward slams the door shut, the action causing the picture frames on the walls to rattle. I watch as Edward's chest rises and falls quickly as he breathes heavily, angered by the confrontation he's just had with Lauren. I start to pull back, not wanting him to know that I witness the end of the argument, but as I move my foot back and go to step back a bit, the sound of the wood floor creaking under my foot alerts him of someone's presence.

"Who's there?" he asks, and I mutter out a quick 'shit' but then step forward once more, bringing my face into view. His eyes change from a look of irritation to one of sadness as they land on me and he makes his way over to me.

"How much of that did you hear?" he asks, and I shrug my shoulders and gnaw on my lip, embarrassed that I've just been caught snooping on him.

"Uh, I think I came in right about when she said she didn't want you playing house with me… or something like that." I say, lowering my head and letting my eyes drop to the ground. I hear as he exhales a long breath and then his feet come into view just as his hand reaches out and grabs on to my chin and gently lifts it until my eyes meet his.

"Bella. Don't let her ruin this, ok?" he says, and I nod my head.

"But what if she-" I start, but his lips on mine silence me. I close my eyes and lean closer to him, adoring the feeling of his warm lips pressed against mine. It's over way too quickly and I have to catch my breath and blink my eyes a bit after to snap myself out of the trance he puts me in.

"She can't do anything, Bella. I've looked over the paper work with my lawyers over and over again. She gave up all rights to Liv and she can't get them back." He's told me about that before, but I had no idea it was that permanent.

"Why would she try and come back now, though?" I ask.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, he tells me exactly why she's decided to try and come back.

"She was watching you, Bella. She said that she had seen you, Liv and Rosalie at the restaurant the other day where she works. She said that she watched you and felt jealous seeing you with Liv. She also followed you into the party store and overhead you talking to the balloon girl about the party, so she decided she would come and try and weasel her way back into mine and Liv's life." he says, and I feel my stomach churn. I had felt like someone was watching me the entire time I had been out yesterday, but I had brushed it off.

I suppress the nauseous feeling as best I can, and look back up at Edward, dreading having to say what I have to say next, but needing to know the answer.

"Do you want her to come back? Do you want her in Liv's life?" I ask, and he rolls his eyes and grabs my, wrapping his lean arms around me and pulling me tight to his chest.

"No, Bella. I don't want Liv to have her there just because she doesn't want someone else there. She had a chance to be a mother, and she chose not to. That was her choice… she can't take it back." I nod my head against his chest and pull him tight against me. He kisses the top of my head and I let out a hum of satisfaction as his hands roam up and down my body.

What do you say we go back out and enjoy Liv's birthday?" he says, and I smile up at him, reach up on my tip toes to kiss his lips briefly and then pull back.

"Let's go."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

"Bye! Thanks for coming!" I say as Rose, Alice, Jasper and Emmett make their way out to their cars. The party's been over for about an hour but they were the last to stay and help pick up besides Edward's parents.

"No problem! We'll see you tomorrow." Rose said with a smirk as if she was in on a joke that I was purposely left out of. She gets into the car quickly though, before I can ask her what it was about and both cars depart, leaving Edward and I standing in the doorway. We walk back inside the house, and close the door behind us. His hand searches for mine as we walk through the living room, and I grab it and give it a tight squeeze as we walk into the kitchen where Carlisle is standing, putting away some leftovers.

I start to have a conversation with Carlisle about how the party was, and a few minutes into our conversation, Edward excuses himself and leaves the room. I continue talking with Edward's father, and then a short time later, Esme comes in with a small book bag and Liv on her hip.

"Are you ready, Carlisle?" she says, and I furrow my brow in confusion.

"You guys are taking Liv tonight?" I ask her, and she flashes a wide grin over to me and opens her mouth to answer, but before she can get a word out, Edward appears with a large duffel bag in hand.

"They are. I have plans for you and me…" he says, his eyes smoldering down at me and causing a warm blush to creep up my body. Esme and Carlisle say their goodbyes and Edward and I leave right after them.

"Where are we going?" I ask him as I buckle my seatbelt. He clicks his on and then turns the key in the ignition, and begins to drive. Completely ignoring my question.

"Are you going to tell me?" I ask, and he shakes his head as he fights back a grin and keeps his eyes steady on the road. I huff and cross my arms in front of me, hating not knowing what's going on, and just focus on the scenery. The street lights flicker by as Edward drives through town, and minutes after, we pull into The Four Seasons.

"A hotel? Why are we staying in a hotel?" I ask him, absolutely flabbergasted as to why he'd choose such an extravagant hotel to stay at when his house is just as nice… and it's free.

"Bella, please. Just stop asking questions and let me spoil you." he says, and I beam over at him and chuckle lightly.

"Ok." I say as he pulls into the front and gets out. A valet worker opens my door for me, and helps me out, then grabs the keys from Edward. He quickly whispers something to the valet, and then walks over to me, grabbing my hand in his and then walks us into the lobby. Instead of walking to the front desk, Edward takes us straight to the elevators and presses the up button. The elevator dings and the doors open and both of us step in, then Edward leans over and presses the 10th floor button and then leans back against the wall, holding me tight to his side.

The ascent to the tenth floor is quick and before I know it, the door is sliding open and Edward is walking me over to the door. Pulling out a key card from his pocket, he smiles down at me and sticks it into the slot, turning the red light to green and then he turns the handle and pushes the door open.

The smell of vanilla and flowers assaults me as soon as the air from inside hits me, and looking around, I immediately see why. There are fresh flowers on every table top and white candles burning, filling the air with the delicious smell. I look up at him with a crooked grin and nudge him in the stomach.

"Someone's been a busy boy!" I tell him and he laughs quietly and nods.

"I guess I have."

"Edward… if you wanted to get into my pants, all you had to do was ask." I joke, but instead of hearing his laughter, or a smart ass comeback from him, he spins me around to face him, and presses my body tight against his.

"That isn't what this is about, ok? There's more to us than just that." he says, staring down at me.

"I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" I start, but he reaches his hands up and places them on the sides of my face.

"I know. I just want you to know how much I love you."

I nod my head, and he places a kiss on my lips and then pulls back and lets me explore the room. The room is massive, done in creams and whites and accented with royal blues. There's a fire roaring in the fireplace and the TV above it on the wall is playing soothing music. I walk into the bedroom and gasp out when I take in all that's going on in there. The large king bed is in the middle of the room, done up in white with brown and red throw pillows. There are two armchairs across from the bed, in front of a large window overlooking the water, with another one on the next wall.

"Edward. This is beautiful!" I say, turning around to face him and kiss his cheek.

"Wait till you see the bathroom." he says, and with that, I take off through the door connected to the bedroom, and let out a loud gasp when I see it.

Marble. The whole bathroom is done in white marble. There's a large soaking tub with large windows facing out to the water. The separate rain shower is encased in glass, with a marble seat inside, and the mirror in front of the sinks has an integrated television.

"Oh my gosh, Edward. This room is amazing!" he laughs and then grabs my hand and nods.

"Are you as hungry as I am?" he asks, and I nod and rub my belly. I hadn't eaten anything all day, so nervous about Liv's party going right, and then after the incident with Lauren, I hadn't had an appetite at all, but now I was ravenous.

Edward quickly called down for food, and about 20 minutes later it came… and I devoured it.

"I don't think I'll ever eat again." I cried out after as I rubbed my full stomach.

"You'll be hungry again in an hour or two." Edward said as he placed all the plates back on the cart and set in outside. He joined me back on the couch, throwing his arm on the back of it, and began playing with my hair.

We sat there in silence for god knows how long before the sound of someone knocking on the door brought us out of out food induced coma.

"Why don't you go and get comfortable in the bed. I'll be right there." he says, and then stands up, holds his hands out to help me up and walks me to the bedroom. With a smirk, he shuts the door to the bedroom behind me and goes to answer the door. Going through the bag he had packed, I find a white, sheer baby doll and slip it on then sit and wait for him to come back in. seconds later the door opens and he walks through, one hand behind his back as he walks closer to me.

"What's go-" I start but then the other hand disappears behind his back and reemerges with a long stemmed red rose, which he holds out to me.

"Mmmm," I hum, bringing the flower to my nose and inhaling its sweet scent, "What's this for?" I ask him, and he leans down, kissing my forehead, and staring into my eyes.

"This is for our past. All of the good times and bad time, everything we went through, this represents that." he says, and then brings his free hand behind his back once again and pulls out another rose.

"This is for our present, for coming back to me and putting up with me even though I know I can be a pain sometimes." he says with a smile, and leans back down to place another kiss on my cheek before handing the flower to me. I take a whiff at the newest one, my head facing down to my lap as I place them there, and as I look up, I see that Edward has kneeled down in front of me, and is holding the last rose upright to me.

I gasp when I see what's on the rose. A ring. A large cushion cut ring in the center of the flower, shining brightly in the lighting of the room as it's surrounded by the red petals from the flower. Is this what I think it is?

With my eyes tearing, I look at Edward, and he inches closer to me, settling his hands on my sides.

"This rose represents our future…" he whispers, then grabs my left hand in his and stares up at me.

"Will you marry me, Bella?"

* * *

**=)**

**Sorry it took so long to post, but I hope this makes up for it.**

**I think it'll just be the Epilogue left for now... but that can always change.**

**Thanks for reading, hope you guys liked this!**

**Rec:**

**Let's Get Physical by Lalina- Love Love Love this! Awesome story and if you aren't reading it yet, you need to be! ;)**

**xoxo my loves.**

**-Ana**


	28. Epilogue: Life Goes On

Finding the Perfect Man

Epilogue: Life Goes On

It wasn't easy saying no to Edward, but it just had to be done. As he looked down at me with sad eyes and a pout in his lip, I had every urge to just turn around and say yes, to make him happy, but I knew it couldn't be that way.

"But, why?" he asks, staring down at what he's holding in his hands and then back at me.

"Because…" I say, and then rest my hand on the side of his face. "These paint colors you've chose are horrible. Pink and orange, Edward? What, are you craving starburst or something and it's taking over your mind?" I ask with a chuckle, and he joins in after a while, placing the paint samples back on the shelf in front of us and shaking his head.

"Fine." he says with a huff and then crosses his arms over his chest and stands there like an overgrown 2 year old. My eyes land on Liv's and we burst out laughing at her father's antics. If there's one thing I've learned after 5 years of marriage to this man, is that he can be a total drama queen at times.

"Liv, what do you think?" I ask, holding up the light violet and bright white paint. "We can paint the room purple and then stencil on some butterflies in white."

"I think it'll be nice, mom."

Mom. I still remember the first time she called me mom.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Edward and I had been married a little over 2 years, and we had been living in California a little longer. He had found a job quickly with my company and was working more hours than I was, so as usual, I was the one able to pick Liv up from school.

I smiled when I saw her class walk out of the building, and I got out of the car and gave her a big hug when she reached me. After waving bye to her teacher, I buckled her in the car and we were on our way home. It was almost the end of school and mother's day was coming up so she pulled out a fake flower from her book bag and handed it to me.

"What's this?" I ask, grabbing the stem made of construction paper and smelling the flower made of tissue paper.

"It's a flower. I made it for you for mother's day." she said, and I smiled and thanked her and handed it back, telling her to hold it for me.

"Bella?"

"Yes."

"Everyone in class has a mommy. I asked the teacher how you know if you have a mommy and she told me that a mommy takes care of you and loves you. So, does that make you my mommy?"

Edward and I had had the conversation about this a year ago, and we both agreed that we wouldn't push the 'mommy' thing on her, but that she could call me that if she wanted to. There was nothing that would make me prouder than to be called her mom.

"I guess it does." I tell her as we pull into the driveway and get out of the car, walk to her door to open it and as soon as I have her out of her seat, she wraps her little arms around my legs and closes her eyes.

"You're not Bella. You're my mom."

_Mom. _I never tire of hearing her call me that. It had been a rough road to get where we were at but we made it in one piece.

When Lauren showed up at Liv's 2nd birthday party and told Edward it wasn't the last we'd see of her, she was right.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

"It's a court date, Bella. Lauren is trying to take me to court!" Edward yelled into the phone. I couldn't find the words to say. I couldn't find what to say to him to make him feel better about this whole situation, so I said nothing. I let him rant about it, and after he was done I told him I loved him and that I'd speak to him later. As I hung up the phone, an overwhelming rage came over me.

Lauren had been unbelievable these past couple of weeks. She had begun stopping at Edward's house and begging him to take her back, to let them be a family again, but after a couple times, Edward threatened to call the police and she stopped. Only to start going to Carlisle and Esme's house and ask to see Liv.

Eventually the cops were called and we thought it would be the end of it, but it was only the beginning.

Edward's call let me know that the court date was scheduled for a month from now, and I intended to be there.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

Edward and I walked hand in hand behind the attorney as we made our way into the courthouse. After placing all our things into the conveyor belt and walking through the scanner, we made our way up to the floor where the hearing was being held. As we stepped into the small, wood covered room, my eyes immediately fell on Lauren. She was sitting at the front, leaned over and talking to her lawyer. Her head snapped up and she met our eyes with hers as we took our seats in the front of the room and lingered there for a while before she brought her stare back to her lawyer.

I felt Edward's hand tighten on mine and looked up at him, seeing his jaw tense and his eyes narrowing at her.

"Edward. It's ok…" I whisper, and he looks down at me and nods briefly before kissing me quickly and turning his head towards the door next to the podium that had just opened, and watching as the judge walks in.

With another quick squeeze of my hand, Edward rises up from the seat, along with his lawyer and steps up to the podium just as Lauren and her lawyer does and as the judge begins to speak, I shut my eyes and let out a breath I hadn't been aware I was holding, and hope that everything goes well.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIIO

The hearing that day, all those years ago went by so quick. Lauren and her team had tried to say that Lauren felt threatened by Edward and that was the reason she had terminated her rights. She said she was afraid for her life because Edward swore he'd end her and with the money his family had, she was sure he could. However, Edward's and his lawyer came prepared with every phone conversation, every email, every text from the two of them that clearly showed the real reasoning behind Lauren giving her daughter up.

She was a selfish pig.

I listened on as Edward's lawyer played the tape of the conversation Edward and Lauren had the day she decided to leave her daughter. She had been out partying, and hadn't come home all night and when Edward finally got a hold of her, she went off. She told him she didn't want anything to do with him or 'the kid' and Edward suggested she terminate her rights then, to which she responded with a 'fuck yea' and told him she wanted a rush order on that.

She was a disgrace.

With nothing else to say, her lawyer gave up right there, and the hearing was dismissed. I'll never forget the look Lauren gave me when she walked out of the room. Her eyes were burning into mine, seething with hate and I actually flinched back as she hit the doors with all the force she had and walked out.

We hadn't seen her since that day.

"Where to?" Edward asks as we leave the store, paint in hand.

"Food. Please!" I beg and both Edward and Liv laugh and we get into the car and drive off towards our favorite restaurant downtown. I lean back in my seat as Edward glides through traffic, every so often turning his head to smile at me and rub my stomach.

The phone rings from my purse in the backseat and Liv grabs it, answering quickly and laughing before handing it to me.

"Here, mom. It's aunt Alice." she says, and I take it and hold it up to my ear as I prepare to hear the bitching of a lifetime.

"Yes, Alice?" I say, sighing into the phone and rolling my eyes as Edward lets out a chuckle and turns into the restaurant.

"Bella? You're roaming the city? What the hell, do you _want _to give birth on the floor of "La Bella Italia'?" she screams, and I laugh and shake my head.

"Alice. It's fine, Ok? We just came from a doctor's appointment this morning and everything is fine. I'm still 1 centimeter and they don't expect me to go into labor for another week or so."

"Really? I guess the fact that Paige was born 2 weeks before her due date means nothing to you? I'm telling you, you're having that baby soon and I would appreciate it if you did it in a nice clean hospital and not on the floor of the mall or something like that."

"Love you, Alice. Talk to you later." I say, and quickly hang up. After talking with her, I always got so nervous. Alice's daughter, Paige was born a year ago with barely any warning. If Jasper hadn't raced down the streets of Seattle, she would have been born in the back of their Lexus and every time she reminded me of that, I got incredibly anxious.

"You Ok?" Edward asks, grabbing my hand as all three of us walk into the restaurant.

"I'm fine. Just hungry." I say and we are immediately seated and in the next hour, we're walking out, leftovers in hand as we make our way to the car. Edward opens my door for me and takes the food from my hands, and as I go to sit down, I feel something trickling down my leg. I gasp and look down just as the trickling turns to a gush.

"Edward. I think we need to go to the hospital." I say, turning to meet his eyes as he places the food into the back seat with Liv.

"Why? What's wrong? Are you in pain?" he asks, and I shake my head as the tears cloud my vision.

"No. My water just broke."

IOIOIOIOIIOIOIOIOIOIOIIOIOI

"Bella, baby she's right there! Just one more push!" Edward said as he held one of my legs up, and starting counting as I pushed.

_1.…..2.…..3.….4.….5.…..6.….7.…._

My daughter's cry stops Edward's counting, and I look up just in time to see the doctor placing her on my chest. The nurses begin to wipe her down, taking all of the goo off of her mop of brown hair and her skin.

She was perfect.

I start to get misty eyes as I look down at her, taking in all of her features, seeing her cloudy eyes looking up at me as I reach down and grab one of her tiny hands in mine. The nurses grab her real quick, take her measurements and her weight and then finish cleaning her and hand her to me.

"7lbs 7 oz, 20 inches long." the nurse calls out, and I look at Edward who mouths 'perfect' and then smiles and leans down to place a kiss on my forehead. Minutes later, the nurses bring the baby back to me, cuddled in a pink blanket with a pastel colored hat on her head.

"Hi.. I'm your mommy." I say, and look up at Edward, whose tears are flowing freely down his face. "And this is your daddy." he leans down, sniffling back and reaching a hand out to touch her face.

"What do we name her?" I ask him, and he brings his eyes to mine for a second before looking back at our baby, and he smiles.

"Would you be totally against the name Emma?" he asks, and I look away, close my eyes and let the name roll off my tongue. Emma. Emma. _Emma._

"I love it. Emma Cullen."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOI

The following month we had a welcome baby party. Everyone who we knew and loved had flown in to join us and I had never been more excited to see everyone.

Angela and Tony came, along with Tony's now 11 year old daughter and his wife. Angela had moved on from the shop a couple years ago and was now managing a hotel in Seattle and Tony was working as a bartender in a successful bar here in California. He decided there was something weird about having a kid and working in a porn shop… what would he bring to her class on career day?

Alice and Rose were there, of course, along with the guys and their kids. Alice had one so far, Paige, but was aching to have more, and Rose was on her 3rd… I had sworn it would have been the other way around because of the way Rose used to be about kids, but I guess things change when you have your own.

Carlisle and Esme were here, as well as my father who was absolutely enraptured by his newest granddaughter… and I say it that way because he counted Liv as his granddaughter as well and he spoiled her rotten and flew down frequently to see her.

I hadn't spoken to my mother since that day over 7 years ago, but while it was painful in the beginning, it didn't bother me anymore. I didn't cut her out of my life she cut me out of hers. I never will understand why certain mother's find it so simple to just up and leave their child, but I know that I never would be. I guess that was the point with situations like that, they happened for a reason. For some it was to write a song about it, for others it was to write a book, but for me, it was to make me a better mother.

At the end of the night, everyone leaves, with the promise of coming tomorrow to spend more time with us. As I have every night since the night I met her, I read Liv her story and put her to bed. When I walked into Emma's nursery, I smiled when I saw Edward rocking her in his arms as he stood next to her crib. I watch from the doorway, not wanting to interrupt the scene before me. It melted my heart to see Edward with Emma, he truly was an amazing father to both of his girls and I just couldn't help but think of how lucky I was.

With great caution, Edward gently lowers Emma into her crib, tucking the blanket over her and turning on the baby monitor before turning and starting to walk out. His eyes meet mine as he makes his way to the doorway, and he smiles as he reaches me and wraps his arms around me.

"Hi." I whisper, grinning up at him as out torsos press against each other and my arms rest on his waist.

"Hi. You ready for bed?" he asks, his voice thick with need. I swallow the saliva that has suddenly pooled in my mouth and gently nod, grabbing his hand and leading him down the hallway into our bedroom.

I excuse myself once we get in, telling him to take a seat on the bed while I go and slip into something more comfortable. I walk into the closet, and open the drawers on the wall, looking for something special to wear for him when I come across something I hadn't seen in years. With a chuckle, I take off my shirt, and slip it on and then walk back out to where Edward is waiting for me, leaning back on the bed, propped up on his elbows and shirtless. His eyes widen when he looks at me and he slowly pushes himself up and off of the bed.

"Bella… really? The shirt about the stamp?" he says, walking over and grabbing the fabric in his hands. I look up at him, shake my head and gently begin to bite on my lower lip.

"It's not about the stamp this time…" I say as I reach up, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him down to me.

"Well, then I guess we should get to it then…" he says, and then places his lips on mine. Our mouths dance along each other, and slowly we make our way to the bed, where Edward throws me down and moves to get on top of me.

"Edward!" I say against his lips, causing him to pull back and look down at me. "We need some lube or something…" I say, remembering what the nurse had told me when I called her earlier that week, begging to be told I could wait the 5 weeks instead of six to be with Edward.

He looks down on me, his face puzzled and then slowly I watch as it changes to a smirk and he leans down, pressing his forehead against mine, and with a shit eating grin, he says something that causes both me and him to laugh like fools.

"I prefer spit."

As we calmed down from our laughing, my eyes stayed on him. Edward was truly beautiful and had everything I had ever wanted in a man. It's crazy to believe that over 7 years ago, I started my search for the perfect man and even though I didn't know it at the time, he had been in front of me just days after. I had found my perfect man and had gotten so much more in the process…

The perfect family. The perfect life.

***.*The End*.***

* * *

**Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, story alerted... whatever you did, Thank you. A big thank you to those of you who I heard from EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER since the beginning. You guys are awesome!**

**If you didn't already know, I'm reworking my story 'Obsess' and posting as I finish each chapter, so if you haven't read it, go check it out! **

**If you want something new from me, I am working on something but won't begin posting it until the new year, so Author alert me if you want to read another killing/crazy/psycho fic cause that's exactly what you're getting. =)**

**Again, thank you to you all! xoxoxox for all of you!**

**-Ana**


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